--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...the Master and the boy followed each…" description: "\"“...the Master and the boy followed each other as if drawn along the wires of some mechanism, until soon it could no longer be discerned which was comi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/571/hermann-hesse-130_age_the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-oth_3117647.jpg" --- # ...the Master and the boy followed each other as if drawn… ![“...the Master and the boy followed each other as if drawn along the wires of some mechanism, until soon it could no longer be discerned which was coming and which going, which following and which leading, the old or the young man. Now it seemed to be the young man who showed honour and obedience…” quote by Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/571/hermann-hesse-130_age_the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-oth_3117647.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/571/hermann-hesse-130_age_the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-oth_3117647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/571/hermann-hesse-130_age_the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-oth_3117647.jpg) > ““...the Master and the boy followed each other as if drawn along the wires of some mechanism, until soon it could no longer be discerned which was coming and which going, which following and which leading, the old or the young man. Now it seemed to be the young man who showed honour and obedience to the old man, to authority and dignity; now again it was apparently the old man who was required to follow, serve, worship the figure of youth, of beginning, of mirth. And as he watched this at once senseless and significant dream circle, the dreamer felt alternately identical with the old man and the boy, now revering and now revered, now leading, now obeying; and in the course of these pendulum shifts there came a moment in which he was both, was simultaneously Master and small pupil; or rather he stood above both, was the instigator, conceiver, operator, and onlooker of the cycle, this futile spinning race between age and youth.”” [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The relationship between generations is fluid, with roles of leader and follower constantly shifting, highlighting mutual respect and learning. **In simple terms:** Age and youth constantly exchange roles, teaching each other. Key Takeaway Embrace reciprocal learning across ages. Themes generational dynamics leadership identity mutual respect Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family mentorship - workplace training - intergenerational projects - cultural rituals Key Concepts philosophy psychology role reversal Questions to Reflect On - How can societies value both experience and fresh perspective? - What structures support balanced intergenerational dialogue? A Different Perspective Older wisdom may be dismissed by youthful enthusiasm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age and youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-and-youth/) [Boy Followed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy-followed-5462061/) [Dreamer Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamer-felt-5462060/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Obedience Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience-old-5462059/) [Obeying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obeying/) [Obeying Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obeying-course-5462062/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Stages of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stages-of-life/) [Transcendence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendence/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Crabbed age and youth cannot live together; Youth is full of pleasure, age is full of care; Youth like summer morn, age like winter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/crabbed-age-and-youth-cannot-live-together-youth-is-full-of-pleasure/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A man's age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-man-s-age-represents-a-fine-cargo-of-experiences-and-memories/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Crabbed age and youth cannot live together: Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/crabbed-age-and-youth-cannot-live-together-youth-is-full-of-pleasance/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Thanks to modern medical advances such as antibiotics, nasal spray, and Diet Coke, it has become routine for people in the civilized world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/thanks-to-modern-medical-advances-such-as-antibiotics-nasal-spray-and/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The process of maturing is an art to be learned, an effort to be sustained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/the-process-of-maturing-is-an-art-to-be-learned-an-effort-to-be-2/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [“So odd a pair, she and he. A duet in code and electron. Age and youth and cynicism and hope. He is quicker than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-kristoff/so-odd-a-pair-she-and-he-a-duet-in-code-and-electron-age-and-youth/) [Jay Kristoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-kristoff/) > [“The man smiled at him a sly smile. As if they knew a secret between them, these two. Something of age and youth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-man-smiled-at-him-a-sly-smile-as-if-they-knew-a-secret-between/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Old age and youth cannot live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/old-age-and-youth-cannot-live-together/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [My faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/my-faculties-are-decaying-now-and-soon-i-shall-be-so-i-cannot/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I find it a great and fatal difference whether I court the Muse, or the Muse courts me. That is the ugly disparity between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-find-it-a-great-and-fatal-difference-whether-i-court-the-muse-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Men, like peaches and pears, grow sweet a little while before they begin to decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-like-peaches-and-pears-grow-sweet-a-little-while-before-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Like our shadows, Our wishes lengthen as our sun declines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/like-our-shadows-our-wishes-lengthen-as-our-sun-declines/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-as-young-as-your-faith-as-old-as-your-doubt-as-young-as-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Women have the stress of being beautiful, of age and youth. Men don't have all that. And with women, that stress causes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miuccia-prada/women-have-the-stress-of-being-beautiful-of-age-and-youth-men-don-t/) [Miuccia Prada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miuccia-prada/) > [Age and youth look upon life from the opposite ends of the telescope; it is exceedingly long,--it is exceedingly short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/age-and-youth-look-upon-life-from-the-opposite-ends-of-the-telescope/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) ## More by Hermann Hesse > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“The mistaken and unhappy notion that a man is an enduring unity is known to you. It is also known to you that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-mistaken-and-unhappy-notion-that-a-man-is-an-enduring-unity-is/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“... it would be better for our country and the world in general, if at least the few people who were capable of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-would-be-better-for-our-country-and-the-world-in-general-if-at/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-bird-fights-its-way-out-of-the-egg-the-egg-is-the-world-who-would/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/everything-becomes-a-little-different-as-soon-as-it-is-spoken-out-loud/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-may-be-important-to-great-thinkers-to-examine-the-world-to-explain/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“..it is useless for you to build walls and dormitories and chapels and churches. Death looks through the window and laughs..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-is-useless-for-you-to-build-walls-and-dormitories-and-chapels-and/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“When the world is at peace, when all things are tranquil and all men obey their superiors in all their courses, then music can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/when-the-world-is-at-peace-when-all-things-are-tranquil-and-all-men/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [A mere nothing suffices — and the lightning strikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-mere-nothing-suffices-and-the-lightning-strikes/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/and-if-time-is-not-real-then-the-dividing-line-that-seems-to-lie/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Beautiful was this world, looking at it thus, without searching, thus simply, thus childlike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/beautiful-was-this-world-looking-at-it-thus-without-searching-thus/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Were not the gods forms created like me and you, mortal, transient?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/were-not-the-gods-forms-created-like-me-and-you-mortal-transient/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) [Explore all 951 Hermann Hesse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## 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": "“...the Master and the boy followed each other as if drawn along the wires of some mechanism, until soon it could no longer be discerned which was coming and which going, which following and which leading, the old or the young man. Now it seemed to be the young man who showed honour and obedience to the old man, to authority and dignity; now again it was apparently the old man who was required to follow, serve, worship the figure of youth, of beginning, of mirth. And as he watched this at once senseless and significant dream circle, the dreamer felt alternately identical with the old man and the boy, now revering and now revered, now leading, now obeying; and in the course of these pendulum shifts there came a moment in which he was both, was simultaneously Master and small pupil; or rather he stood above both, was the instigator, conceiver, operator, and onlooker of the cycle, this futile spinning race between age and youth.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hermann Hesse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-other-as-if-drawn-along-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-other-as-if-drawn-along-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/571/hermann-hesse-130_age_the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-oth_3117647.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/571/hermann-hesse-130_age_the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-oth_3117647.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/571/hermann-hesse-130_age_the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-oth_3117647.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...the Master and the boy followed each other as if drawn along the wires of some mechanism, until soon it…” — Hermann Hesse", "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": "Hermann Hesse", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...the Master and the boy followed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-other-as-if-drawn-along-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-master-and-the-boy-followed-each-other-as-if-drawn-along-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 } } ] } ```