---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Generally, youth is like the first…"
description: "\"Generally, youth is like the first cogitations, not so wise as the second. For there is a youth in thoughts, as well as in ages. And yet the invention ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/francis-bacon-297_age_generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogita_1383261.jpg"
---

#  Generally, youth is like the first cogitations, not so…

![“Generally, youth is like the first cogitations, not so wise as the second. For there is a youth in thoughts, as well as in ages. And yet the invention of young men, is more lively than that of old; and imaginations stream into their minds better, and, as it were, more divinely.” quote by Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/francis-bacon-297_age_generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogita_1383261.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/francis-bacon-297_age_generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogita_1383261.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/francis-bacon-297_age_generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogita_1383261.jpg)

> “Generally, youth is like the first cogitations, not so wise as the second. For there is a youth in thoughts, as well as in ages. And yet the invention of young men, is more lively than that of old; and imaginations stream into their minds better, and, as it were, more divinely.”

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

## About This Quote

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

Youth is characterized by fresh, vibrant thought, while older age offers wisdom; the former is more imaginative and lively

**In simple terms:** Young minds are more imaginative than older ones

Key Takeaway

Value youthful imagination while respecting experience

Themes

growth imagination age

Mood

thoughtful philosophical

Type

essay reflective

When to use this quote

- education
- innovation
- career development
- intergenerational collaboration

Key Concepts

creativity wisdom experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you combine youthful creativity with seasoned insight?
- What practices help balance imagination and wisdom?

A Different Perspective

Youthful imagination may lack the depth of experience

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Generally Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generally-youth-4798425/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lively/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Streams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streams/) [Thoughts Ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-ages-1450523/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) [Youth Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth-thoughts-3565852/)

## Related quotes

> [“One could say Youth is power of country then my question is-who is youth? sorry to say but you are not youth. Youth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prakhar-srivastav/one-could-say-youth-is-power-of-country-then-my-question-is-who-is/)

[Prakhar Srivastav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prakhar-srivastav/)

> [On leaf of palm, on sedge-wrought roll; on plastic clay and leather scroll, man wrote his thoughts; the ages passed, and lo! the Press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/on-leaf-of-palm-on-sedge-wrought-roll-on-plastic-clay-and-leather/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [Each state of the human mind has some parable in the physical creation by which it is shadowed forth; nor is it only artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/each-state-of-the-human-mind-has-some-parable-in-the-physical/)

[Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/)

> [You can never make someone punctual who is not, or quick who is slow, or lively who wants to plod on carefully. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-of-wied/you-can-never-make-someone-punctual-who-is-not-or-quick-who-is-slow/)

[Elisabeth of Wied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-of-wied/)

> [There are many points in the history of an invention which the inventor himself is apt to overlook as trifling, but in which posterity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brewster/there-are-many-points-in-the-history-of-an-invention-which-the/)

[David Brewster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brewster/)

> [I agree that Scott Lively is marginal, and that is exactly why evangelicals must not let him speak for them. But in Uganda, Scott…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-agree-that-scott-lively-is-marginal-and-that-is-exactly-why/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [A lively retrospect summons back to us once more our youth, with vivid reflex of its early joys and unstained pleasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-musset/a-lively-retrospect-summons-back-to-us-once-more-our-youth-with-vivid/)

[Alfred de Musset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-musset/)

> [A lively understandable spirit Once entertained you. It will come again. Be still. Wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/a-lively-understandable-spirit-once-entertained-you-it-will-come/)

[Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/)

> [There is nothing can pay one for that invaluable ignorance which is the companion of youth, those sanguine groundless hopes, and that lively vanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-can-pay-one-for-that-invaluable-ignorance-which-is/)

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

> [By declaring yourself a leader, you're taking initiative and moving into a role of influence in a lively and vital network that's changing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/by-declaring-yourself-a-leader-you-re-taking-initiative-and-moving/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [I know that there are many things I could do, but I'm not interested. It's more important to be loving and to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veruschka-von-lehndorff/i-know-that-there-are-many-things-i-could-do-but-i-m-not-interested/)

[Veruschka von Lehndorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veruschka-von-lehndorff/)

> [ Comedy is lively, comedy is joy, and that's what keeps us \[people\] going, we've got to look forward to little, little happiness's. Little, little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/comedy-is-lively-comedy-is-joy-and-that-s-what-keeps-us-people-going/)

[Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/)

> [My Hallway" remarked Lord Akeldama,"Has never seen such lively action. And That, my sugarplums, is saying something!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/my-hallway-remarked-lord-akeldama-has-never-seen-such-lively-action/)

[Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/)

> [A perpetually new and lively world, but a dangerous one, full of tragedy and injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/a-perpetually-new-and-lively-world-but-a-dangerous-one-full-of/)

[Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/)

> [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/)

[Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/)

## More by Francis Bacon

> [Princes are like heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times, and which have much veneration, but no rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/princes-are-like-heavenly-bodies-which-cause-good-or-evil-times-and/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [The best preservative to keep the mind in health is the faithful admonition of a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-best-preservative-to-keep-the-mind-in-health-is-the-faithful/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Since custom is the principal magistrate of man's life, let men by all means endeavor to obtain good customs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/since-custom-is-the-principal-magistrate-of-man-s-life-let-men-by-all/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/painting-today-is-pure-intuition-and-luck-and-taking-advantage-of/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Much bending breaks the bow; much unbending the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/much-bending-breaks-the-bow-much-unbending-the-mind/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [When Christ came into the world, peace was sung; and when He went out of the world, peace was bequeathed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-christ-came-into-the-world-peace-was-sung-and-when-he-went-out/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [...neither is it possible to discover the more remote and deeper parts of any science, if you stand but upon the level of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/neither-is-it-possible-to-discover-the-more-remote-and-deeper-parts/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [The human understanding, when any preposition has been once laid down... forces everything else to add fresh support and confirmation; and although more cogent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-human-understanding-when-any-preposition-has-been-once-laid-down/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [I should have been, I don't know, a con-man, a robber or a prostitute. But it was vanity that made me choose painting, vanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-should-have-been-i-don-t-know-a-con-man-a-robber-or-a-prostitute/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Wounds cannot be cured without searching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/wounds-cannot-be-cured-without-searching/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [The French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-french-are-wiser-than-they-seem-and-the-spaniards-seem-wiser-than/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [When a man laughs at his troubles he loses a great many friends. They never forgive the loss of their prerogative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-a-man-laughs-at-his-troubles-he-loses-a-great-many-friends-they/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/believing-that-i-was-born-for-the-service-of-mankind-and-regarding/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

[Explore all 711 Francis Bacon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

## 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": "Generally, youth is like the first cogitations, not so wise as the second. For there is a youth in thoughts, as well as in ages. And yet the invention of young men, is more lively than that of old; and imaginations stream into their minds better, and, as it were, more divinely.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Francis Bacon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogitations-not-so-wise-as-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogitations-not-so-wise-as-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/francis-bacon-297_age_generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogita_1383261.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/francis-bacon-297_age_generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogita_1383261.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/francis-bacon-297_age_generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogita_1383261.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Generally, youth is like the first cogitations, not so wise as the second. For there is a youth in thoughts…” — Francis Bacon",
                "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": "Francis Bacon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Generally, youth is like the first...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogitations-not-so-wise-as-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/generally-youth-is-like-the-first-cogitations-not-so-wise-as-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
