Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he is only trying on one face after another to find his own.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Youthful pretense is a natural process of experimenting with identities to discover the true self.
- In plain terms
- Young people try on different styles to figure out who they really are.
- What can you take from it?
- Affectation in youth is often a search for identity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you recognize genuine growth?
- When is pretending useful?
Another view
Some affectations may be harmful rather than exploratory.
More from Logan Pearsall Smith
The denunciation of the young is a necessary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists in the circulation of their blood.
Permalink to quote #1 I cannot forgive my friends for dying; I do not find these vanishing acts of theirs at all amusing.
Permalink to quote #3 What music is more enchanting than the voices of young people, when you can't hear what they say?
Permalink to quote #4
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