proverb · Words worth keeping
The goslings would lead the geese out to grass.
The goslings would lead the geese out to grass.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The younger birds presume to lead those with experience. The image asks whether confidence has outrun understanding, without making age alone a reason to accept or reject someone’s guidance.
What the words are saying
The goslings take the leading role while the geese are the ones they would direct. The reversal can expose eagerness to instruct before learning what the task requires. In a human setting, ask whether the proposed guide understands the route, risks and needs of the group. Experience matters, but it does not make an older participant infallible or a newcomer incapable. The saying works best as a check on unearned certainty rather than as a permanent rule about who is allowed to contribute or lead.
Everyday example
A new volunteer proposes leading an unfamiliar route, then learns it alongside experienced members before taking responsibility for the group.
When to use it
Use it to ask whether someone’s confidence in directing others is supported by relevant understanding.
What it does not mean
Newcomers can bring valuable knowledge; assess preparation and competence rather than age or membership alone.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 35; French section, paragraph 707; source wording: Les oisons veulent mener les oies paître.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.