--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The modern minds in each generation are…" description: "\"The modern minds in each generation are the critics who preserve us from a petrifying world, who will not leave us to walk undisturbed in the ways of o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/edith-hamilton-7366_critics_the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are_863361.jpg" --- # The modern minds in each generation are the critics who… ![“The modern minds in each generation are the critics who preserve us from a petrifying world, who will not leave us to walk undisturbed in the ways of our fathers.” quote by Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/edith-hamilton-7366_critics_the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are_863361.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/edith-hamilton-7366_critics_the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are_863361.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/edith-hamilton-7366_critics_the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are_863361.jpg) > “The modern minds in each generation are the critics who preserve us from a petrifying world, who will not leave us to walk undisturbed in the ways of our fathers.” [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critics act as guardians, preventing societies from stagnating by challenging outdated traditions. **In simple terms:** Critics protect progress by questioning the past. Key Takeaway Value constructive criticism for growth. Themes criticism progress tradition generational change Mood thoughtful balanced Type analytical inquisitive When to use this quote - policy debates - academic forums - community discussions Key Concepts sociology cultural evolution Questions to Reflect On - When does criticism become obstruction? - How can societies balance respect for tradition with needed change? A Different Perspective Critics can be overly harsh, stifling innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The new tinge to modern minds is a vehement and passionate interest in the relation of general principles to irreducible and stubborn facts. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-new-tinge-to-modern-minds-is-a-vehement-and-passionate-interest/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Our children are exposed to 10, 20, 30 times the number of words that our great-grandfathers were exposed to. We're exposed in a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-c-hayes/our-children-are-exposed-to-10-20-30-times-the-number-of-words-that/) [Steven C. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-c-hayes/) > [An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmaster of ever afterwards.An author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald-2/an-author-ought-to-write-for-the-youth-of-his-own-generation-the/) [F Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald-2/) > [My idea is always to reach my generation. The wise writer writes for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/my-idea-is-always-to-reach-my-generation-the-wise-writer-writes-for/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I think at one point, a whole new younger generation of critics come in and they're really aware of zeitgeist in their group, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-think-at-one-point-a-whole-new-younger-generation-of-critics-come/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmaster of ever afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/an-author-ought-to-write-for-the-youth-of-his-own-generation-the-2/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [My last series was on A.B.C., a one-hour called 'My Generation'. Critics liked it. I was on for two weeks, and that was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-littlefield/my-last-series-was-on-a-b-c-a-one-hour-called-my-generation-critics/) [Warren Littlefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-littlefield/) > [I believe that teaching is one of the most noble professions and it's no easy task to shape the minds of the next generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himani-shivpuri/i-believe-that-teaching-is-one-of-the-most-noble-professions-and-it-s/) [Himani Shivpuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himani-shivpuri/) > [Science chases money, and money chases its tail, and the best minds of my generation cannot make bail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/science-chases-money-and-money-chases-its-tail-and-the-best-minds-of-2/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [There is a continual exchange of ideas between all minds of a generation. Journalists, popular novelists, illustrators, and cartoonists adapt the truths discovered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-rodin/there-is-a-continual-exchange-of-ideas-between-all-minds-of-a/) [Auguste Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-rodin/) > [I saw the best minds of my generation who threw their watches off the roof to cast their ballot for Eternity outside of Time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/i-saw-the-best-minds-of-my-generation-who-threw-their-watches-off-the/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [“Is it any wonder that the cultural archetype of my generation is the Nerd, whose apps and gadgets symbolize the hope of economic growth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/is-it-any-wonder-that-the-cultural-archetype-of-my-generation-is-the/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads. That sucks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hammerbacher/the-best-minds-of-my-generation-are-thinking-about-how-to-make-people/) Jeff Hammerbacher > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Edith Hamilton > [Poetry and preaching do not go well together; when the preacher mounts the pulpit the poet usually goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/poetry-and-preaching-do-not-go-well-together-when-the-preacher-mounts/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [When faith is supported by facts or by logic it ceases to be faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/when-faith-is-supported-by-facts-or-by-logic-it-ceases-to-be-faith/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Ages of faith and of unbelief are always said to mark the course of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/ages-of-faith-and-of-unbelief-are-always-said-to-mark-the-course-of/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [None so good that he has no faults, None so wicked that he is worth naught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/none-so-good-that-he-has-no-faults-none-so-wicked-that-he-is-worth/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [To be able to be caught up into the world of thought-that is educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/to-be-able-to-be-caught-up-into-the-world-of-thought-that-is-educated/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Convention, so often a mask for injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/convention-so-often-a-mask-for-injustice/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Myths are early science, the result of men's first trying to explain what they saw around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/myths-are-early-science-the-result-of-men-s-first-trying-to-explain/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [A people's literature is the great textbook for real knowledge of them. The writings of the day show the quality of the people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/a-people-s-literature-is-the-great-textbook-for-real-knowledge-of/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [“He drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek and make Hell grant what Love did seek. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/he-drew-iron-tears-down-pluto-s-cheek-and-make-hell-grant-what-love/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Mind and spirit together make up that which separates us from the rest of the animal world, that which enables a man to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/mind-and-spirit-together-make-up-that-which-separates-us-from-the/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/it-has-always-seemed-strange-to-me-that-in-our-endless-discussions/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [When we speak of beauty, we're speaking of something we're more or less indifferent to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/when-we-speak-of-beauty-we-re-speaking-of-something-we-re-more-or/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Love, however, cannot be forbidden. The more that flame is covered up, the hotter it burns. Also love can always find a way. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/love-however-cannot-be-forbidden-the-more-that-flame-is-covered-up/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [In theology the conservative temper tends to formalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/in-theology-the-conservative-temper-tends-to-formalism/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that God speaks directly to men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s-conviction-that-god-speaks/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) [Explore all 92 Edith Hamilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) ## More Critics quotes > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [There was a cultural war going on, the '60s was going on. All the film critics were square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/there-was-a-cultural-war-going-on-the-60s-was-going-on-all-the-film/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [I get that the media wants us to play theater critics and critique every other proposal. What I'm focusing on are my own policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-get-that-the-media-wants-us-to-play-theater-critics-and-critique/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The Yippies, their lifestyle is different from mine. But I consider Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman inspired critics of the kind of society that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/the-yippies-their-lifestyle-is-different-from-mine-but-i-consider/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [This one goes out to all my critics: don't you feel stupid? Look how I did it. Look how it came to pass when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/this-one-goes-out-to-all-my-critics-don-t-you-feel-stupid-look-how-i/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [There's a lot of stuff I want to do, just things that I want to explore that don't involve show business. I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/there-s-a-lot-of-stuff-i-want-to-do-just-things-that-i-want-to/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whatever-course-you-decide-upon-there-is-always-someone-to-tell-you/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [A certain type of critic doesn't really want French movies to be visual. They think movies started from books and they forgot this part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/a-certain-type-of-critic-doesn-t-really-want-french-movies-to-be/) [Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/) Browse all 2,637 Critics quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The modern minds in each generation are the critics who preserve us from a petrifying world, who will not leave us to walk undisturbed in the ways of our fathers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edith Hamilton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are-the-critics-who-preserve-us/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Critics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are-the-critics-who-preserve-us/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/edith-hamilton-7366_critics_the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are_863361.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/edith-hamilton-7366_critics_the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are_863361.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/edith-hamilton-7366_critics_the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are_863361.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The modern minds in each generation are the critics who preserve us from a petrifying world, who will not…” — Edith Hamilton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edith Hamilton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The modern minds in each generation...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are-the-critics-who-preserve-us/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-modern-minds-in-each-generation-are-the-critics-who-preserve-us/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```