Life begins at forty

life begins at 40

cliché One has the skills, experience, and means by age 40 to truly enjoy life to its fullest. A: "I'm so depressed that I'm going to turn 40 next year." B: "Come on, Tom, life begins at 40. You've still got all sorts of adventures ahead of you!"
See also: 40, begin, life
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Life begins at forty.

Prov. By the time you are forty years old, you have enough experience and skill to do what you want to do with your life. (Often said as an encouragement to those reaching middle age.) Alan: Why are you so depressed? Jane: Tomorrow's my fortieth birthday. Alan: Cheer up! Life begins at forty. For Pete, life began at forty, because by that time he had enough financial security to enjoy himself now and then, rather than having to work all the time.
See also: begin, forty, life
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • be out of (one's) head
  • be at a disadvantage
  • at a disadvantage
  • address comments or remarks to
  • address (one's) comments to (someone or something)
  • address (one's) remarks to (someone or something)
  • be in it for
  • be over the hill
  • be more than (something)
  • be more than glad, ready, etc.
References in periodicals archive
The phrase "life begins at forty" was used to counteract the feeling of dread that your fortieth birthday was the beginning of the end.
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"They say life begins at forty, and in this fortieth anniversary year this feels like a new beginning."
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The most successful of these was Life Begins at Forty (1932), the sale of which reached several hundred thousand copies.
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THEY say life begins at forty, but in the case of this old-stager, life carries on at 30.
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and Life Begins at Forty, received serious head injuries and died in hospital more than two months later.
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