Words I Live By

"Youth" by Samuel Ullman

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

8 comments:

Ken said...

Sam's got that right!

Judy said...

I love it.

Rock Chef said...

That's great! So true!

Boomer Pie. said...

Getting old ain't for sissies. I just stumbled across your blog and I like it. Your photos make me want to go on vacation. I signed up to follow your exploits. Stop by my place and return the favor if you like. http://www.boomerpie.com/

Coffeypot said...

I'll think about that when I grow up.

terri said...

That was beautiful. I love it. Totally gives validation to my refusal to grow up! I'll be chasing my kids around the grocery store with frozen crab legs without embarrassment for years to come!

TerryC said...

"now with 100% of the maximum fiber your colon will hold"...

When did this happen? How could I have missed it?

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

Months ago...hahaha...I knew you of all people would catch it eventually. Oh...and I do have your shirt.