There’s a quote I heard somewhere to this effect. I’m probably messing it up.
“The trick isn’t to live forever, it’s to live long enough to live forever “
“The trick isn’t to live forever, it’s to live long enough to live forever “
Even if at no point actual immortality is developed, you can go like this forever, finite life extension by finite life extension.
If one life extension makes you live 5 years longer, and during that time an new one comes out that lengthens your life by a few more years, you can see how one might keep "catching" these just in time and thus gradually transition from mortal to immortal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Voyage:_Live_Long_En...