proverb · Words worth keeping
When old age is evil, youth can learn no good.
When old age is evil, youth can learn no good.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Older people who set a poor example can undermine the lessons offered to the young. The saying connects guidance with the conduct of those giving it.
Example
A mentor who asks for honesty realises that concealing their own mistake weakens the lesson they intend to give.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Old age and youth create a contrast between the person expected to guide and the person expected to learn. If the guide acts badly, words alone may not teach the claimed values convincingly. The line can encourage someone in a mentoring role to examine their own conduct. It should not condemn an age group or assume that young people learn only from older people. Learning can come from many sources, including recognising and rejecting a bad example.
When to use it
Use it to connect a person’s example with the values they ask others to practise.
Keep in mind
Age does not establish virtue, and a bad example need not determine a learner’s choices.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English