8 amazing people who found success later in life

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It’s funny now to think that back in my twenties I worried about not being far along enough in life.

I remember lamenting the approach of a particular milestone birthday to my friend Danny Mack, a quick-witted guy who shot back with exactly what I needed to hear.

“I’ve got two words for you, Heidi,” he said, raising two fingers and cracking a huge smile: “Grandma Moses.”

I was reminded of these words of wisdom recently when an essay titled “How These Late-in-Life Geniuses Bloomed at Last” popped up in my Facebook feed.

In addition to highlighting the late bloomers featured in the slideshow below — and yes, Grandma Moses is in there — writer Sean Braswell mentions folks such as Mark Twain and Virginia Woolf, whose blooms grew bigger and brighter as they matured.

His point is the same one Danny Mack made to me way back when I still had my whole life ahead of me: It wasn’t too late for me to pursue anything then and it’s not too late now, either.

Julia Child published her first cookbook around age 50

Robert Frost published his first book of poetry at age 39 and produced his best, most popular works later in life

Madame C.J. Walker became an entrepreneur in her late 30s when she launched her beauty-products business