Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.

Astaire’s quip treats aging not as a passive fate but as a craft—something you can prepare for through habits formed early. The line implies that the quality of one’s later years depends on long-term investments: health, discipline, curiosity, friendships, and financial prudence. It also reflects Astaire’s public image as a consummate professional whose effortless grace was built on relentless practice; “starting young” evokes the dancer’s lifelong training and the idea that longevity in any demanding field is earned. The humor softens a serious point: successful aging is less about resisting time than about building a life resilient enough to meet it.

1) “Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you have to start young.”
2) “Old age is like everything else: to make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.”