The passions of the young are vices in the old.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Young people's intense emotions can drive growth, but when older people exhibit the same intensity, it often looks irrational or harmful.
- In plain terms
- Energy and passion suit youth, but age demands restraint.
- What can you take from it?
- Expect different emotional standards for different ages.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does passion become a vice?
- How do you judge behavior by age?
Another view
Some passions remain valuable regardless of age.
More from Joseph Joubert
The pain of dispute exceeds by much its utility. All disputation makes the mind deaf; and when people are deaf I am dumb.
Permalink to quote #66 The purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place to spend one's leisure.
Permalink to quote #68 The mind conceives with pain, but it brings forth with delight.
Permalink to quote #65
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