--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the old alone have finality. What is true…" description: "\"the old alone have finality. What is true of the young today may be false tomorrow. They are enveloped in emotion; and emotion as a state of being is f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/ellen-glasgow-1897_emotion_the-old-alone-have-finality-what-is-true_1725767.png" --- # the old alone have finality. What is true of the young… ![“the old alone have finality. What is true of the young today may be false tomorrow. They are enveloped in emotion; and emotion as a state of being is fluent and evanescent.” quote by Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/ellen-glasgow-1897_emotion_the-old-alone-have-finality-what-is-true_1725767.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/ellen-glasgow-1897_emotion_the-old-alone-have-finality-what-is-true_1725767.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/ellen-glasgow-1897_emotion_the-old-alone-have-finality-what-is-true_1725767.png) > “the old alone have finality. What is true of the young today may be false tomorrow. They are enveloped in emotion; and emotion as a state of being is fluent and evanescent.” [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects that the elderly possess finality, while the young’s truths are fleeting, emphasizing the transitory nature of emotions. **In simple terms:** Old age is final; youth’s truths change. Key Takeaway Respect both permanence and change. Themes age transience emotion philosophy Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - intergenerational dialogue - mental health - literary analysis Key Concepts existentialism temporal perspective human experience Questions to Reflect On - How do emotions shape our perception of time? - What can each generation learn from the other? A Different Perspective It may romanticize aging and youth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Finality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finality/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) ## Related quotes > [You will never be as young again as you are today, so have fun. But be careful, because you have never been this old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-be-as-young-again-as-you-are-today-so-have-fun-but-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The young today cannot follow narrative but they are alert to drama. 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But it can't take away having had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/life-may-take-away-happiness-but-it-can-t-take-away-having-had-it/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [So long as one is able to pose one has still much to learn about suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/so-long-as-one-is-able-to-pose-one-has-still-much-to-learn-about/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [...I had grown up in a world that was dominated by immature age. Not by vigorous immaturity, but by immaturity that was old and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-had-grown-up-in-a-world-that-was-dominated-by-immature-age-not-by/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I hated the things they believe in, the things they so innocently and charmingly pretended. 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