---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is the malady of our age that the…"
description: "\"It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy teaching us that they have no time left to learn.\" — Eric Hoffer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/eric-hoffer-343_age_it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-you_712501.jpg"
---

#  It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy…

![“It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy teaching us that they have no time left to learn.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/eric-hoffer-343_age_it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-you_712501.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/eric-hoffer-343_age_it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-you_712501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/eric-hoffer-343_age_it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-you_712501.jpg)

> “It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy teaching us that they have no time left to learn.”

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Youth are so occupied teaching others they neglect their own learning.

**In simple terms:** Young teach, but don’t learn.

Key Takeaway

Balance teaching with personal growth.

Themes

education generational time management

Mood

concerned thoughtful

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- mentoring
- schooling
- workshops
- self‑study

Key Concepts

Knowledge transfer self‑directed learning

Questions to Reflect On

- What can you learn while teaching?
- How to allocate time for self‑education?

A Different Perspective

Teaching can become a distraction from personal development.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-left/)

## Related quotes

> [Everybody is now so busy teaching that nobody has any time to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/everybody-is-now-so-busy-teaching-that-nobody-has-any-time-to-learn/)

[Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/)

> [I remain totally convinced that when children are young, however busy we may be with the practical duties inside the home, themost important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-remain-totally-convinced-that-when-children-are-young-however-busy/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [While my friends were busy listening to the Talking Heads, Police, and B-52s, I was busy teaching myself to program on the Atari.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sinofsky/while-my-friends-were-busy-listening-to-the-talking-heads-police-and/)

[Steven Sinofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sinofsky/)

> [“I'm teaching all the time. When am I to learn?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/i-m-teaching-all-the-time-when-am-i-to-learn/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Teaching is learning. When you're teaching full-time you have to do research, stay current.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-heath/teaching-is-learning-when-you-re-teaching-full-time-you-have-to-do/)

[Jimmy Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-heath/)

> [“Less Teaching Time for Mrs. Agonize”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-pacelli/less-teaching-time-for-mrs-agonize/)

Shane Pacelli

> [The technique of a mass movement aims to infect people with a malady and then offer the movement as a cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-technique-of-a-mass-movement-aims-to-infect-people-with-a-malady/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Religion is not a matter of God, church, holy cause, etc. These are but accessories. The source of religious preoccupation is in the self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/religion-is-not-a-matter-of-god-church-holy-cause-etc-these-are-but/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-decaying-age-young-people-no-longer-respect-their/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Old Age Is Not for the Young.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/old-age-is-not-for-the-young/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [By the age of twenty, any young man should know whether or not he is to be a specialist and just where his tastes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/by-the-age-of-twenty-any-young-man-should-know-whether-or-not-he-is/)

[Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/)

> [When I moved to New York, I feel like a lot of things widened within my perspective and as I spend some time here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-saylor/when-i-moved-to-new-york-i-feel-like-a-lot-of-things-widened-within/)

[Morgan Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-saylor/)

> [At around nine or 10 years of age, young people start to decide for themselves what's moral or not, and that's why I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/at-around-nine-or-10-years-of-age-young-people-start-to-decide-for/)

[Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/)

> [Often too many expectations are put on by society as to what we're supposed to look like and it's fed to people at an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-clare/often-too-many-expectations-are-put-on-by-society-as-to-what-we-re/)

[Dustin Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-clare/)

> [I was probably on a horse before the age of three. From a very young age, I could ride on my own, work, trot,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-was-probably-on-a-horse-before-the-age-of-three-from-a-very-young/)

[Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/)

## More by Eric Hoffer

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-lie-the-loudest-when-we-lie-to-ourselves/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which we borrow from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/our-originality-shows-itself-most-strikingly-not-in-what-we-wholly/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [The creative mind is the playful mind. Philosophy is the play and dance of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-creative-mind-is-the-playful-mind-philosophy-is-the-play-and/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-best-part-of-the-art-of-living-is-to-know-how-to-grow-old/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [“In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes--courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, etc.--can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-act-of-self-denial-seems-to-confer-on-us-the-right-to-be-harsh/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [A nation without dregs and malcontents, is orderly, decent, peaceful and pleasant, but perhaps without the seed of things to come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-nation-without-dregs-and-malcontents-is-orderly-decent-peaceful-and/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/compassion-alone-stands-apart-from-the-continuous-traffic-between/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/there-are-many-who-find-a-good-alibi-far-more-attractive-than-an/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-war-is-not-won-if-the-defeated-enemy-has-not-been-turned-into-a/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/man-is-the-only-creature-that-strives-to-surpass-himself-and-yearns/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [This food-and-shelter theory concerning man's efforts is without insight. The desire for praise is more imperative than the desire for food and shelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/this-food-and-shelter-theory-concerning-man-s-efforts-is-without/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

[Explore all 658 Eric Hoffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy teaching us that they have no time left to learn.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eric Hoffer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-young-are-so-busy-teaching-us/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-young-are-so-busy-teaching-us/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/eric-hoffer-343_age_it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-you_712501.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/eric-hoffer-343_age_it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-you_712501.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/eric-hoffer-343_age_it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-you_712501.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy teaching us that they have no time left to learn.” — Eric Hoffer",
                "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": "Eric Hoffer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is the malady of our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-young-are-so-busy-teaching-us/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-the-malady-of-our-age-that-the-young-are-so-busy-teaching-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
