Aging is a matter of mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

This aphorism circulates widely in late-20th- and early-21st-century popular culture—on greeting cards, motivational posters, and “positive aging” advice columns—typically credited to “Anonymous.” It reflects a modern, self-help-inflected attitude toward aging that emphasizes psychological outlook over chronology. Although often repeated as a standalone maxim, it is not securely tied to a single identifiable speech, book, or periodical publication in the way many famous quotations are. As a result, it functions more as a piece of folk wisdom than as a traceable literary citation, and attribution to a specific originator remains uncertain.

The saying plays on the double meaning of “mind”: aging is framed as partly a mental experience (“a matter of mind”), and the emotional reaction to getting older (“if you don’t mind”) determines whether it feels burdensome (“it doesn’t matter”). Its humor and neat symmetry make it memorable, but it also carries a serious point: anxiety, self-consciousness, and social stigma can make aging feel worse than physical change itself. The quote promotes resilience and self-acceptance, suggesting that dignity and vitality depend less on age and more on attitude—while implicitly challenging cultural assumptions that equate aging with decline.