Eddie Vedder Quotes

As far as my mindset changing, I see myself having more empathy in my older age.

People say you become more cynical as you get older. That hasn't been my experience.

I can't understand it when people are closed-minded. I mean, boy, have I made mistakes and been very wrong. I can't tell you the amounts of times I've been let down, but I still try to see the best in people.

It is only through such real-life daily struggles and challenges that a genuine sensitivity to human rights can be inculcated. This is a truth that is not limited to school education: it applies to all of us.

It's funny how you get a bit older and become more accepting of things. When you're in your twenties, you're skeptical of everything. I definitely felt like that.

I get more optimistic as I get older.

I sometimes let people down, especially when I was younger. I was cavalier about what people told me. Part of growing up is learning when to shut up.

I'm less Pollyanna now. That's probably healthy.

At twenty a man is full of fight and hope. He wants to reform the world. When he is seventy he still wants to reform the world, but he know he can't.

I think, for me, personally, I try to be sensitive to issues as I learn about them. And I also try to constantly become not only a certain type of person but also become more in tune to the issues I'm covering. As I get older, I think that things just affect me more.

Compromise and tolerance are magic words. It took me 40 years to become philosophical.

Also, the more you're not focused on showbiz and instead focused on life, learning about other people, and keeping your eyes open and trying to be aware of the world.

Like everybody, I've had a lot of pain in my life and I'm a work in progress. You must have a true desire to see the world from a different point of view, and that comes with growing up.

If you are fortunate in life, age and knowledge breed compassion. And as I have gotten older, I came to understand, that a person's sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with their ability to be a good parent.

As I get older, I get smaller. I see other parts of the world I didn't see before. Other points of view. I see outside myself more.

Like everybody, my views on many issues have changed as I have gotten older.

When I turned 30, I realized how ignorant I really was. I always thought I had a very accomplished life.

Many years ago, I used to say, 'I haven't lived long enough to be great.' Now I don't say that.

Maybe I'm flattering myself, but I think my view of humanity has got steadily sunnier since I was 15. I have a higher opinion of politicians, for instance, than I did when I first moved to Washington.

When I was younger, I took life much more seriously.

I've got a lot of experience under my belt, but I still have a very naive and idealistic outlook on life.

I just tell young people to find their way. Keep your eyes open. Keep your ears open and keep your heart open.

Back when I was an idealistic 18-year-old on my way to Chicago, I might have believed that being on the side of virtue would guarantee a good outcome. These many years later, I know better.

I have become a little more cynical and, I would like to believe, a little wiser. When I first came to Mumbai, I was very idealistic. Now I can look anyone in the face and tell a lie. But I'm in a good place.

When I was 25, I believed I could change the world. At 41, I have come to the realization that I cannot change my wife, my church, or my kids, to say nothing of the world. Try as I might, I have not been able to manufacture outcomes the way I thought I could, either in my own life or other people's.