It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old; they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.

The saying reverses a common assumption about aging: instead of time extinguishing aspiration, it suggests that surrendering one’s aspirations is what makes a person “old” in spirit. “Dreams” here functions broadly—projects, desires, curiosity, and a sense of future-directed purpose. The line is motivational in tone, framing vitality as an active practice rather than a biological condition. It also implies agency: people may not control chronology, but they can choose whether to keep imagining and striving. As a piece of wisdom literature, it works by paradox and moral exhortation, though its attribution to García Márquez is doubtful.