--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nearly every one of us, at some time or…" description: "\"“Nearly every one of us, at some time or other, thinks what a great waste and pity it is that the older generation cannot teach the younger generation,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_failure_nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-o_2194813.jpg" --- # Nearly every one of us, at some time or other, thinks what… ![“Nearly every one of us, at some time or other, thinks what a great waste and pity it is that the older generation cannot teach the younger generation, cannot share their experiences, cannot save the young their mistakes; that each human being has to learn by his own experience and his own…” quote by Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_failure_nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-o_2194813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_failure_nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-o_2194813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_failure_nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-o_2194813.jpg) > ““Nearly every one of us, at some time or other, thinks what a great waste and pity it is that the older generation cannot teach the younger generation, cannot share their experiences, cannot save the young their mistakes; that each human being has to learn by his own experience and his own mistakes. And yet it is possible that this is the best way.”” [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning through personal experience may be harsh but can be the most effective teaching method. **In simple terms:** Mistakes teach better than lessons from elders. Key Takeaway Embrace learning from personal errors. Themes education experience growth Mood thoughtful optimistic Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - career mentorship - personal development - school curricula Key Concepts pedagogy autonomy generational gaps Questions to Reflect On - Can we balance guidance with self‑learning? - How to mitigate pain while preserving autonomy? A Different Perspective Reliance on personal error can cause unnecessary suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Older generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-generation/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [There is not human being from whom we cannot learn something if we are interested enough to dig deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/there-is-not-human-being-from-whom-we-cannot-learn-something-if-we/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Everybody was young before and made mistakes; that's the reason why we live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-schroder/everybody-was-young-before-and-made-mistakes-that-s-the-reason-why-we/) [Dennis Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-schroder/) > [“It is not sufficient to produce the next generation. You must also teach the new generation how to survive in an abnormal toxic world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-not-sufficient-to-produce-the-next-generation-you-must-also/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [When I was young, I made mistakes. I'm not gonna shy away from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/when-i-was-young-i-made-mistakes-i-m-not-gonna-shy-away-from-it/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) > [“I’ll teach you how to decipher all the confused faces by closing your eyes & how to cringe when someone says the words ‘your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-ll-teach-you-how-to-decipher-all-the-confused-faces-by-closing-your/) [Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/) > [Our job is obvious: we need to get out of the way, shine a light, and empower a new generation to teach itself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-obvious-we-need-to-get-out-of-the-way-shine-a-light-and/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Im young, I made mistakes, but hey its life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-young-i-made-mistakes-but-hey-its-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If many of our young people have lost the excitement of the early settlers, who had a country to explore and develop, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/if-many-of-our-young-people-have-lost-the-excitement-of-the-early/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Once your children are grown up and have children of their own, the problems are theirs and the less the older generation interferes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/once-your-children-are-grown-up-and-have-children-of-their-own-the/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Sometimes you're only human and you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-joseph/sometimes-you-re-only-human-and-you-learn/) [Curtis Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-joseph/) > [Men are born human. What they must learn is to be an animal. If they learn otherwise it may kill them, and kill life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/men-are-born-human-what-they-must-learn-is-to-be-an-animal-if-they/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [One of the ultimate things a human can learn is kindness for their fellow humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-tanner/one-of-the-ultimate-things-a-human-can-learn-is-kindness-for-their/) [Evan Tanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-tanner/) > [Love is not some complex, mystical abstraction. It is something accessible and human that we learn through our everyday experience, as often at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-not-some-complex-mystical-abstraction-it-is-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a moon inside every human being. Learn to be companions with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/there-is-a-moon-inside-every-human-being-learn-to-be-companions-with/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“Children should be taught about history not as is usually the case now, that this is the record of long past events, which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/children-should-be-taught-about-history-not-as-is-usually-the-case/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## More by Eleanor Roosevelt > [My experience has been that work is almost the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/my-experience-has-been-that-work-is-almost-the-best-way-to-pull/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [experience should teach us that it is always the unexpected that does occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/experience-should-teach-us-that-it-is-always-the-unexpected-that-does/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [To be mature you have to realize what you value most... Not to arrive at a clear understanding of one's own values is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/to-be-mature-you-have-to-realize-what-you-value-most-not-to-arrive-at/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I'm enormously interested in freedom and retaining the right to have whatever economy we want and to shape it as we want and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/i-m-enormously-interested-in-freedom-and-retaining-the-right-to-have/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [When you look fear in the face, you are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/when-you-look-fear-in-the-face-you-are-able-to-say-to-yourself-i/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [The destiny of human rights is in the hands of all our citizens in all our communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/the-destiny-of-human-rights-is-in-the-hands-of-all-our-citizens-in/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [You can never really live anyone else's life, not even your child's. The influence you exert is through your own life, and what you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/you-can-never-really-live-anyone-else-s-life-not-even-your-child-s/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“One of the things I believe most intensely is that every child’s why should be answered with care—and with respect. If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-of-the-things-i-believe-most-intensely-is-that-every-child-s-why/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [What we must learn to do is to create unbreakable bonds between the sciences and the humanities. We cannot procrastinate. The world of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-we-must-learn-to-do-is-to-create-unbreakable-bonds-between-the/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/never-allow-a-person-to-tell-you-no-who-doesn-t-have-the-power-to-say/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/do-not-stop-thinking-of-life-as-an-adventure-you-have-no-security/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/we-stand-today-at-the-threshold-of-a-great-event-both-in-the-life-of/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [All of us ... should remember that no amount of flag-waving, pledging allegiance, or fervent singing of the national anthem is evidence that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/all-of-us-should-remember-that-no-amount-of-flag-waving-pledging/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Some friends leave footprints in your heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/some-friends-leave-footprints-in-your-heart/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [If we want a free and peaceful world, if we want to make the deserts bloom and man grow to greater dignity as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/if-we-want-a-free-and-peaceful-world-if-we-want-to-make-the-deserts/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) [Explore all 612 Eleanor Roosevelt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nearly every one of us, at some time or other, thinks what a great waste and pity it is that the older generation cannot teach the younger generation, cannot share their experiences, cannot save the young their mistakes; that each human being has to learn by his own experience and his own mistakes. And yet it is possible that this is the best way.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eleanor Roosevelt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-other-thinks-what-a-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-other-thinks-what-a-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_failure_nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-o_2194813.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_failure_nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-o_2194813.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_failure_nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-o_2194813.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nearly every one of us, at some time or other, thinks what a great waste and pity it is that the older…” — Eleanor Roosevelt", "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": "Eleanor Roosevelt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Nearly every one of us, at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-other-thinks-what-a-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/nearly-every-one-of-us-at-some-time-or-other-thinks-what-a-great/#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 } } ] } ```