The other day, a friend told me her age (she’s just a few years younger than I), and then asked mine. I did tell her; but I was surprised at my reluctance to say the number out loud. And that led me to thinking about women and age.

Today’s quote comes from a Chinese philosopher . . . though surprisingly not attributed to Confucius, as is so much of that culture’s wisdom. In fact, I don’t even know whether it’s an old or a newer saying.

But it is about women, and about age: two perfectly normal subjects that, when combined, tend to react like a mixture of chlorine and ammonia. And it appears that the Chinese have always understood this very well, because these words — whether ancient or recent — explain perfectly how we women feel about the subject:

“The woman who tells her age is either too young to have anything to lose or too old to have anything to gain.”

– As quoted by Advaita Suresh, US News, May 17, 2026

So now you can understand why you should never ask the age of a woman who is, or appears to be, anywhere between 18 and 80, because if you do, you are likely to have your lights knocked out.

And now, perhaps you could help me figure out how to deal with my new-found realization that, according to the Chinese proverb, I have nothing left to gain.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/18/26