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Most nations, as well as people are impossible only in their youth; they become incorrigible as they grow older.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Youth is a time of possibility, but as people age, they often become set in their ways.

This quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau suggests that both nations and individuals exhibit a certain flexibility and potential for change in their youth. However, as they grow older, they tend to become more rigid, often holding onto beliefs and behaviors that may no longer serve them, implying that growth and adaptability are often lost with age.

Themes

YouthChangeGrowthRigidityAdaptability

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the importance of innovation, one could reference this quote to emphasize the need for a youthful mindset.

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O love, if I regret the age when one savors you, it is not for the hour of pleasure, but for the one that follows it.
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Those people who treat politics and morality separately will never understand either of them.
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As evening approached, I came down from the heights of the island, and I liked then to go and sit on the shingle in some secluded spot by the lake; there the noise of the waves and the movement of the water, taking hold of my senses and driving all other agitation from my soul, would plunge me into delicious reverie in which night often stole upon me unawares.
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