We've put more effort into helping folks reach old age than into helping them enjoy it.

Clark contrasts two kinds of social progress: the practical work of prolonging life (medicine, public health, safer labor, better nutrition) and the less measurable work of making later life meaningful and pleasant. The line suggests that longevity alone is an incomplete victory if old age is marked by isolation, poverty, boredom, or loss of dignity. Implicitly, it argues for investing in the “quality” side of aging—community, purpose, accessible environments, and humane care—rather than treating survival as the sole metric of success. The aphorism also critiques a culture that celebrates technological fixes while neglecting emotional and social well‑being.