--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a man reaches his maturity in…" description: "\"When a man reaches his maturity in understanding and in years, the feeling comes over him that his father was wrong to beget him.\" — Friedrich Nietzsche" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/friedrich-nietzsche-15_aging_when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-under_2150488.jpg" --- # When a man reaches his maturity in understanding and in… ![“When a man reaches his maturity in understanding and in years, the feeling comes over him that his father was wrong to beget him.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/friedrich-nietzsche-15_aging_when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-under_2150488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/friedrich-nietzsche-15_aging_when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-under_2150488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/friedrich-nietzsche-15_aging_when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-under_2150488.jpg) > “When a man reaches his maturity in understanding and in years, the feeling comes over him that his father was wrong to beget him.” [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Maturity brings the realization that parental teachings may be flawed, prompting independent thought. **In simple terms:** Maturity reveals parents may be wrong. Key Takeaway Question inherited beliefs. Themes self‑discovery independence growth Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - family dynamics - education - career decisions Key Concepts philosophy critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile respect for parents with new insights? - What evidence challenges your upbringing? A Different Perspective Maturity can also bring regret or resentment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Begets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begets/) [Comes Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-father-761866/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-wrong-2843258/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Maturity Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity-understanding-1553855/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-feeling-366681/) ## Related quotes > [I think that shows a level of maturity and understanding that I think bodes well for getting to the bottom of this. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-think-that-shows-a-level-of-maturity-and-understanding-that-i-think/) [David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/) > [“Spiritual maturity is understanding that we cannot blame anybody else for our actions. Some factors may make it harder for us to perform according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-cannon/spiritual-maturity-is-understanding-that-we-cannot-blame-anybody-else/) [Elaine Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-cannon/) > [“I can't believe I'm about to drink with my father- this is wrong on so many levels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-higgins/i-can-t-believe-i-m-about-to-drink-with-my-father-this-is-wrong-on-so/) [Wendy Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-higgins/) > [“Her father was wrong. Everything had changed. Her eyes had been opened. Even looking out to sea from her seat on the boat, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-christian/her-father-was-wrong-everything-had-changed-her-eyes-had-been-opened/) [Nadine Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-christian/) > [It was my father who could do no wrong. So I didn't think of it as, oh, look, my father's a violent man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/it-was-my-father-who-could-do-no-wrong-so-i-didn-t-think-of-it-as-oh/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“John 14:6 Jesus tells us in His own words, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/john-14-6-jesus-tells-us-in-his-own-words-no-one-comes-to-the-father/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [“Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jesus-said-to-him-i-am-the-way-the-truth-and-the-life-no-one-comes-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” If”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-black/jesus-said-in-john-14-6-i-am-the-way-and-the-truth-and-the-life-no/) [Troy Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-black/) > [I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/i-am-the-way-the-truth-and-the-life-no-one-comes-to-the-father-except/) [Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/) > [“I am the way the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but through me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-the-way-the-way-the-truth-and-the-life-no-one-comes-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The fighting spirit that I have comes from my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/the-fighting-spirit-that-i-have-comes-from-my-father/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-14-6/jesus-answered-i-am-the-way-and-the-truth-and-the-life-no-one-comes/) [John 14:6](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-14-6/) > [“Heidi began to read of the son when he was happily at home, and went out into the fields with his father's flocks, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-spyri/heidi-began-to-read-of-the-son-when-he-was-happily-at-home-and-went/) [Johanna Spyri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-spyri/) > [There are two types of genius; one which above all begets and wants to beget, and another which prefers being fertilized and giving birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/there-are-two-types-of-genius-one-which-above-all-begets-and-wants-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Too many years of feeling degraded now hatred's the only feeling that comes~~~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/too-many-years-of-feeling-degraded-now-hatred-s-the-only-feeling-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Friedrich Nietzsche > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) [Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More Aging quotes > [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/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a man reaches his maturity in understanding and in years, the feeling comes over him that his father was wrong to beget him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-understanding-and-in-years-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-understanding-and-in-years-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/friedrich-nietzsche-15_aging_when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-under_2150488.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/friedrich-nietzsche-15_aging_when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-under_2150488.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/friedrich-nietzsche-15_aging_when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-under_2150488.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a man reaches his maturity in understanding and in years, the feeling comes over him that his father…” — Friedrich Nietzsche", "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a man reaches his maturity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-understanding-and-in-years-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-a-man-reaches-his-maturity-in-understanding-and-in-years-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 } } ] } ```