youth is wasted on the young

English

Etymology

Often attributed to George Bernard Shaw.

Phrase

youth is wasted on the young

1. The young fail to appreciate or make good use of what they experience.
   • 1983, Lawrence Bush, Bessie, Seaview/Putnam, →ISBN, page 56:

     Maybe someday the old and the young will live together and work together. But like they say, youth is wasted on the young, and I would also say that wisdom is wasted on the old.

Translations

phrase

• Finnish: nuoruus menee hukkaan nuorissa
• French: si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait (fr)
• Polish: not used in Polish
• Russian: е́сли бы мо́лодость зна́ла, е́сли бы ста́рость могла́ (jésli by mólodostʹ znála, jésli by stárostʹ moglá) (lit: if the youth were skillful, if the old age were able)

See also

• you can't put an old head on young shoulders