Never such innocence, Never before or since, As changed itself to past Without a word--the men Leaving the gardens tidy, The thousands of marriages Lasting a little while longer: Never such innocence again.
Philip LarkinRead
Saki says that youth is like hors d'oeuvres: you are so busy thinking of the next courses you don't notice it. When you've had them, you wish you'd had more hors d'oeuvres.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Youth is often overlooked because we are preoccupied with the future, leading to regret for not savoring it.
This quote reflects the fleeting nature of youth and how individuals often fail to appreciate it because they are too focused on what comes next. It suggests that while we chase future experiences and stages of life, we might miss the beauty and enjoyment of our current state, leading to a sense of longing once it's gone.
Themes
YouthAppreciationRegretLifeExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on the importance of making the most of your teenage years.
More from Philip Larkin
All quotes →Uncontradicting solitude Supports me on its giant palm; And like a sea-anemone Or simple snail, there cautiously Unfolds, emerges, what I am.
Philip LarkinRead
Above all, though, children are linked to adults by the simple fact that they are in process of turning into them. For this they may be forgiven much. Children are bound to be inferior to adults, or there is no incentive to grow up.
Philip LarkinRead
Originality is being different from oneself, not others.
Philip LarkinRead
I can't understand these chaps who go round American universities explaining how they write poems: It's like going round explaining how you sleep with your wife.
Philip LarkinRead
I have a sense of melancholy isolation, life rapidly vanishing, all the usual things. It's very strange how often strong feelings don't seem to carry any message of action
Philip LarkinRead
Similar quotes
There is nothing wrong with making mistakes and not having all the answers, so long as we are willing to admit this and strive for personal betterment. Those who think they know it all have no way of finding out that they don't.
Leo BuscagliaRead
O that men's ears should be To counsel deaf but not to flattery!
William ShakespeareRead
Men wrongly lament the flight of time, blaming it for being too swift; they do not perceive that its passage is sufficiently long, but a good memory, which nature has given to us, causes things long past to seem present.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
In the face of an obstacle which is impossible to overcome, stubbornness is stupid.
Simone De BeauvoirRead
The trick is, as I know it, is to care like hell _x000D_ and not give a damn at the same time.
Paul SimonRead
The ideas of control and improvements are often confused with one another. This is because quality control and quality improvement are inseparable.
Kaoru IshikawaRead