119 Quotes That Teach Us the Art of Maturity

Becoming mature is a continuous process that depends on how we improve from our past actions. We could all use a little help to make these improvements. Here are 120 quotes that may teach us a thing or two about the art of maturity.

Maturity can mean different things to different people, but it can be generally understood as an acceptance and understanding of the world around us. It also means understanding the reasons behind someone's actions and respecting and reacting in accordance with this.

Maturity is typically developed through a combination of age and experience. But there are other ways to develop it. Learning from people you admire, and accepting discipline from people you respect can help improve your maturity level.

Reaching a healthy level of maturity means that you are able to live your life independently while respecting people for how they choose to live their lives. To help you reach a healthy level of maturity, read through these 120 quotes on the art of maturity.

Marcus Aurelius's quote: “Indifference to external events. And a commitment to justice in your own acts.” | Image: AmoDays

WHAT IS MATURITY?

“Maturity is the ability to postpone gratification.” — Sigmund Freud

“Maturity is when your world opens up and you realize that you are not the center of it.” — M.J. Croan

“Maturity is when you live your life by your commitments, not by your feelings.” — Rick Warren

“Man’s maturity: to have regained the seriousness that he had as a child at play.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“Youth ends when egotism does; maturity begins when one lives for others.” — Hermann Hesse

Sigmund Freud's quote: “Maturity is the ability to postpone gratification.” | Image: AmoDays

“Maturity: to do what’s important and to ignore what’s not.” — Maxime Lagacé

“Indifference to external events. And a commitment to justice in your own acts.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Emotional maturity is the ability to stick to a job and to struggle through until it is finished, to endure unpleasantness, discomfort, and frustration.” — Edward Adam Strecker

“Maturing is realizing how many things don’t require your comment.” — Rachel Wolchin

“Maturation is the process of foregoing others’ measures of success for your own. Naturally not many people are interested in doing this.” — Angela Jiang

Naval Ravikant's quote: “Wisdom is really about figuring out the long-term consequences of your actions.” | Image: AmoDays

“Maturity really means: being very unsurprised by, and calm around pain and disappointment.” — Alain de Botton

“Maturity: knowing where you’re crazy, trying to warn others of the fact, and striving to keep yourself under control.” — Alain de Botton

“Maturity happens when you start living without hope. Hope is childish. You become mature when you don’t project hope into the future. In fact, you are mature when you don’t have any future; you just live in the moment — because that is the only reality there is.” — Osho

“To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open.” — Jordan Peterson

“Maturity consists in not losing the past while fully living in the present with a prudent awareness of the possibilities of the future.” — Thomas Traherne

Rick Warren's quote: “Maturity is when you live your life by your commitments, not by your feelings.” | Image: AmoDays

“Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which cannot be changed, the courage to change that which should be changed, no matter what it takes, and the wisdom to know the difference.” — Ann Landers

“Maturity is the ability to prioritize values before feelings.” — Mark Manson

“Him I call a brahmana, who associates not with the householder or with the homeless one, or with both, who is free from sensual desire and has few wants.” — The Dhammapada

“Maturity is learning how to start when you feel like procrastinating and learning how to listen when you feel like talking.” — James Clear

“A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all-knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Friedrich Nietzsche's quote: “Man’s maturity: to have regained the seriousness that he had as a child at play.” | Image: AmoDays

MATURITY QUOTES ON HOW MATURITY DEVELOPS

“Self-knowledge is the first step to maturity.” — Jane Austen

“By all means, avoid words — threats, complaints, justification, narratives, reframing, attempts to win arguments, supplications; avoid words!” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“We don’t mature through age; we mature in awareness.” — Byron Katie

“The first sign of maturity is not reacting to others' immaturity.” — D. Muthukrishnan

“Keep a nimble mind, and err on the side of precaution. — Naval Ravikant

Hermann Hesse's quote: “Youth ends when egotism does; maturity begins when one lives for others.” | Image: AmoDays

“Show wisdom. Do not jump to conclusions. Take a broader view. Give very practical answers. Take a balanced view. Don’t be so dogmatic. Be more tolerant. Look deeper into things. Generate and consider alternatives. Look at things from many angles.” — Thibaut

“Maturity: Be able to stick with a job until it is finished. Be able to bear an injustice without having to get even. Be able to carry money without spending it. Do your duty without being supervised.” — Ann Landers

“It is best to rise from life as from a banquet, neither thirsty nor drunken.” — Aristotle

“The heart never takes the place of the head: but it can, and should, obey it.” — C.S. Lewis

“It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of high maturity, to rise to the level of self-criticism.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Edward Adam Strecker's quote: “Emotional maturity is the ability to stick to a job and to struggle through until it is finished, to endure unpleasantness, discomfort, and frustration.” | Image: AmoDays

“Maturity is reached the day we don’t need to be lied to about anything.” — Frank Yerby

“Adulthood involves learning to conclusively bury a great many of our hopes.” — Alain de Botton

“Lose the mind and gain consciousness and you are mature. Die to the past and be born to the present and you are mature. Maturity is living in the present, fully alert and aware of all the beauty and the splendor of existence.” — Osho

"The man of wisdom should admonish others; he should give advice and should prevent others from doing wrong; such a man is held dear by the good; he is disliked only by the bad.” — The Dhammapada

“Indeed, wisdom is born of meditation; without meditation, wisdom is lost. Knowing this twofold path of gain and loss of wisdom, one should conduct oneself so that wisdom may increase.” — The Dhammapada

Rachel Wolchin's quote: “Maturing is realizing how many things don’t require your comment.” | Image: AmoDays

SHORT MATURITY QUOTES

“Just do your thing, without complaining.” — Maxime Lagacé

“The world rewards people who call things the way they are.” — Anthony Pompliano

“Maturity is the ability to live in peace with that which we cannot change.” — Ann Landers

“This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.” — Augustine of Hippo

“Do something that doesn’t feel good now to feel good later.” — Shane Parrish

Angela Jiang's quote: “Maturation is the process of foregoing others’ measures of success for your own. Naturally not many people are interested in doing this.” | Image: AmoDays

“Maturity is having the courage to use one’s own intelligence.” — Immanuel Kant

“Maturity, the way I understand it, is knowing what your limitations are.” — Kurt Vonnegut

“Maturity is when all of your mirrors turn into windows.” — Henry David Thoreau

“The prudent man strives for freedom from pain, not pleasure.” — Aristotle

“Tho’ modesty is a virtue, bashfulness is a vice.” — Benjamin Franklin

Alain de Botton's quote: “Maturity really means: being very unsurprised by, and calm around pain and disappointment.” | Image: AmoDays

“There’s no rush.” — Maxime Lagacé

“Maturity is a choice.” — Harry Styles

“Grown-up people can wait.” — Ann Landers

“Taking offense is a form of self-harm.” — The Stoic Emperor

“How you treat people is your religion.” — Thibaut

Jordan Peterson's quote: “To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open.” | Image: AmoDays

“You are never too old to become younger.” — Mae West

“Maturity of mind is best shown in slow belief.” — Baltasar Gracián

“The first person we must examine is ourselves.” — John C. Maxwell

“Maturity is the capacity to endure uncertainty.” — John Huston Finley

“90% of maturity is getting over the fear of hard work.” — Jimmy Song

Alain de Botton's quote: “Maturity: knowing where you’re crazy, trying to warn others of the fact, and striving to keep yourself under control.” | Image: AmoDays

“I had rather do and not promise than promise and not do.” — Arthur Warwick

“If you dedicate yourself to helping others, you’ll be happier.” — 14th Dalai Lama

“Truth and popularity tend to be mutually exclusive.” — James Pierce

“The wiser you get, the more comfortable you are in chaos.” — Maxime Lagacé

“The master is content to serve as an example and not to impose her will.” — Lao Tzu

Ann Landers's quote: “Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which cannot be changed, the courage to change that which should be changed, no matter what it takes, and the wisdom to know the difference.” | Image: AmoDays

“True wisdom is not about loving happiness.” —Thibaut

“When I didn’t resist, I could see the world.” — Pema Chödrön

INSPIRATIONAL MATURITY QUOTES

“Mature people don’t try to steer the river, they steer themselves.” — Maxime Lagacé

“Maturity is perseverance — the ability to sweat out a project or a situation, in spite of heavy opposition and discouraging setbacks, and stick with it until it is finished.” — Ann Landers

“The value of a man is not measured by his money, his status, or his possessions. The value of a man lies in his personality, wisdom, creativity, courage, independence and maturity.” — Mark W. B. Brinton

Mark Manson's quote: “Maturity is the ability to prioritize values before feelings.” | Image: AmoDays

“Sometimes problems don’t require a solution to solve them; instead they require maturity to outgrow them.” — Steve Maraboli

“If you focus on long-term outcomes, expect to be misunderstood in the short-term, frequently.” — Tom Gardner

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm but to add color to my sunset sky.” — Rabindranath Tagore

“One of the blessings of maturity is that it sometimes brings one greater courage to be truthful, regardless of what those who do not understand may think or say.” — Napoleon Hill

“Be the person you are. Never try to be another, and you will become mature. Maturity is accepting the responsibility of being oneself, whatsoever the cost.” — Osho

The Dhammapada's quote: “Him I call a brahmana, who associates not with the householder or with the homeless one, or with both, who is free from sensual desire and has few wants.” | Image: AmoDays

“The most useful person in the world today is the man or woman who knows how to get along with other people.” — Stanley C. Allyn

“The older you get, the more you realize it’s less about what you want, and more about what you’re willing to give up.” — Mark Manson

“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations.” — Samuel Ullman

“Resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside.” — Epictetus

“He who is full of faith and virtue, who also possesses fame and fortune, is held in reverence wherever he goes.” — The Dhammapada

James Clear's quote: “Maturity is learning how to start when you feel like procrastinating and learning how to listen when you feel like talking.” | Image: AmoDays

“Great estates may venture more; little boats must keep near shore.” — Benjamin Franklin

“If you betray yourself, if you say untrue things, if you act out a lie, you weaken your character.” — Jordan Peterson

“People are ever craving more time, yet continue to squander that which they already have.” — James Pierce

“Bet on those willing to go backward to go forward, not those who insist on only going forward to go forward.” — Angela Jiang

Jane Austen's quote: “Self-knowledge is the first step to maturity.” | Image: AmoDays

THE IMPORTANCE OF MATURITY

“Doctors won’t make you healthy. Nutritionists won’t make you slim. Teachers won’t make you smart. Gurus won’t make you calm. Mentors won’t make you rich. Trainers won’t make you fit. Ultimately, you have to take responsibility. Save yourself.” — Naval Ravikant

“As a mountain of rock is unshaken by the wind, so also, the wise are unperturbed by blame or by praise.” — The Dhammapada

“In growing old we become more foolish — and more wise.” — François de La Rochefoucauld

“Maturity doesn’t come with age; it comes with the acceptance of responsibility.” — John C. Maxwell

“Feverishness of fame, pride, and social recognition is immaturity. Just wake up and see there is nothing much in it. It’s an empty bowl.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Nassim Nicholas Taleb's quote: “By all means, avoid words — threats, complaints, justification, narratives, reframing, attempts to win arguments, supplications; avoid words!” | Image: AmoDays

“Farmers channel the water; fletchers straighten the arrow; carpenters work the timber; the wise tame themselves.” — The Dhammapada

“Wise men don’t need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren’t wise.” — Lao Tzu

“Maturity is the ability to reap without apology and not complain when things don’t go well.” — Jim Rohn

“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” — Albert Ellis

“I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” — Albert Einstein

Byron Katie's quote: “We don’t mature through age; we mature in awareness.” | Image: AmoDays

“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” — Andrew Carnegie

“When a man is old he must do more than when he was young.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity.” — William Arthur Ward

“The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all costs.” — C.S. Lewis

“The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt.” — Max Lerner

D. Muthukrishnan's quote: “The first sign of maturity is not reacting to others' immaturity.” | Image: AmoDays

“Your misery is your own fault. Stop blaming the world. The world owes you nothing.” — Preethi Kasireddy

“Your happiness cannot be taken by the others if it is not given by the others.” — Osho

MATURITY QUOTES ON THE BENEFITS OF MATURITY

“If you can learn to be patient in a very impatient society, you win.” — Thibaut

“Not taking things personally is a superpower.” — James Clear

Naval Ravikant's quote: “Keep a nimble mind, and err on the side of precaution. | Image: AmoDays

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." — Rumi

“You want to have a life without pain. You can’t. You want to have a life without sorrow. You can’t. You want to have a life without fear. You can’t. You can only learn to control how you react to these things when they come. This is how you become the adult in the room.” — Thibaut

“Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.” — Nora Ephron

“When you care for others, you manifest an inner strength despite any difficulties you face. Your own problems will seem less significant and bothersome to you. Reaching beyond your own problems and taking care of others, you gain confidence, courage, and a greater sense of calm.” — 14th Dalai Lama

“Refraining from pleasure cultivates temperance, and it is through temperance that we can abstain from pleasure.” — Aristotle

Thibaut's quote: “Show wisdom. Do not jump to conclusions. Take a broader view. Give very practical answers. Take a balanced view. Don’t be so dogmatic. Be more tolerant. Look deeper into things. Generate and consider alternatives. Look at things from many angles.” | Image: AmoDays

“‘Tis easier to suppress the first desire, than to satisfy all that follow it.” — Benjamin Franklin

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” — Buddha

“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown-up.” — C.S. Lewis

“Future you pays for the sins of present you. Future you gains from the good of present you. There is no escaping consequence.” — Angela Jiang

“You can’t be mature if you don’t know yourself. Experiences, failures, and reflection will bring you what you need.” — Maxime Lagacé

Ann Landers's quote: “Maturity: Be able to stick with a job until it is finished. Be able to bear an injustice without having to get even. Be able to carry money without spending it. Do your duty without being supervised.” | Image: AmoDays

“There are foolish people who know and who skilfully use their folly.” — François de La Rochefoucauld

“The stronger our fixed identity of ourselves is, the easier we are insulted.” — Pema Chödrön

“It is good to have virtue till old age, it is good to have unshakable faith, it is good to gain wisdom, it is good to do no evil.” — The Dhammapada

HUMOROUS MATURITY QUOTES

“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” — T.S. Eliot

“Maturity is doing what you think is best, even when your mother thinks it’s a good idea.” — Paul Watzlawick

Lao Tzu's quote: “The master is content to serve as an example and not to impose her will.” | Image: AmoDays

“What I look forward to is continued immaturity followed by death.” — Dave Barry

“If you learn that someone is speaking ill of you, don’t try to defend yourself against the rumors; respond instead with, ‘Yes, and he doesn’t know the half of it, because he could have said more.’” — Epictetus

“The vivacity which increases in old age is not far removed from folly.” — François de La Rochefoucauld

“You can disagree with someone and still like them as a person. It’s called being an adult.” — Dan Go

“When an ordinary man attains knowledge, he is a sage; when a sage attains understanding, he is an ordinary man.” — Zen proverb

Max Lerner's quote: “The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt.” | Image: AmoDays

One of the most beautiful things about maturity is that it is subjective. We can only deem ourselves mature relative to our past thoughts and actions. Therefore, we all have the opportunity to improve ourselves, at our own pace, every day.

Even if we don’t have all the answers, our maturity will give us a sense of calm in frustrating situations, which is always an admirable ability.

If these quotes helped you focus on improving your maturity, these quotes on freeing yourself from jealousy may interest you.