---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Young men's minds are always changeable…"
description: "\"Young men's minds are always changeable, but when an old man is concerned in a matter, he looks both before and after.\" — Homer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/homer-357_age_young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable_2951804.png"
---

#  Young men's minds are always changeable, but when an old…

![“Young men's minds are always changeable, but when an old man is concerned in a matter, he looks both before and after.” quote by Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/homer-357_age_young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable_2951804.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/homer-357_age_young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable_2951804.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/homer-357_age_young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable_2951804.png)

> “Young men's minds are always changeable, but when an old man is concerned in a matter, he looks both before and after.”

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

## About This Quote

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

Older men consider past and future when judging matters, while younger minds are more changeable.

**In simple terms:** Elders weigh history and future; youths are fickle.

Key Takeaway

Value the perspective of experience.

Themes

wisdom generational insight decision making

Mood

thoughtful balanced

Type

philosophical instructional

When to use this quote

- leadership decisions
- intergenerational dialogue
- policy planning
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

historical context age‑based judgment

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance youthful ideas with seasoned wisdom?
- When should elder counsel dominate decisions?

A Different Perspective

May discount youthful innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Before and after](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before-and-after/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/)

## Related quotes

> [I am concerned about the whole man. I am concerned about what the people, using their government as an instrument and a tool, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-am-concerned-about-the-whole-man-i-am-concerned-about-what-the/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [When I meet a man, I am not concerned about his opinions. I am concerned about the man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/when-i-meet-a-man-i-am-not-concerned-about-his-opinions-i-am/)

[Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/)

> [A man who is more concerned with being a good man than being good at being a man makes a very well-behaved slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-donovan/a-man-who-is-more-concerned-with-being-a-good-man-than-being-good-at/)

[Jack Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-donovan/)

> [One man is more concerned with the impression he makes on the rest of mankind, another with the impression the rest of mankind makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/one-man-is-more-concerned-with-the-impression-he-makes-on-the-rest-of/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [God is never impressed with what a man can do. He is more concerned with what a man is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-is-never-impressed-with-what-a-man-can-do-he-is-more-concerned/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-common-man-is-not-concerned-about-the-passage-of-time-the-man-of/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“He was a man more concerned with the truth than his arrest quota, a philosophy that would often have him skate on thin ice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/he-was-a-man-more-concerned-with-the-truth-than-his-arrest-quota-a/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“As they were speaking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom Odysseus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/as-they-were-speaking-a-dog-that-had-been-lying-asleep-raised-his/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [I love the acquaintance of young people; because, in the first place, I do not like to think myself growing old. In the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-love-the-acquaintance-of-young-people-because-in-the-first-place-i/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [When the waitress puts the dinner on the table, the old men look at the dinner. The young men look at the waitress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gelett-burgess/when-the-waitress-puts-the-dinner-on-the-table-the-old-men-look-at/)

[Gelett Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gelett-burgess/)

> [Yet, every now and then, there would pass a young girl, slender, fair and desirable, arousing in young men a not ignoble desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/yet-every-now-and-then-there-would-pass-a-young-girl-slender-fair-and/)

[Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/)

> [Young men have visions, old men have dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-smith/young-men-have-visions-old-men-have-dreams/)

[Red Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-smith/)

> [“In childhood, you long to grow up fast because older people are more powerful, young men more powerful. A child just longs to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/in-childhood-you-long-to-grow-up-fast-because-older-people-are-more/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [Young men mend not their sight by using old men's spectacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/young-men-mend-not-their-sight-by-using-old-men-s-spectacles/)

[John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/)

> [“may be well to repeat here the saying that old men talk of what they have done, young men of what they are doing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/may-be-well-to-repeat-here-the-saying-that-old-men-talk-of-what-they/)

[Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/)

## More by Homer

> [He knew the things that were and the things that would be and the things that had been before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/he-knew-the-things-that-were-and-the-things-that-would-be-and-the/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [“Few sons are like their fathers--most are worse, few better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/few-sons-are-like-their-fathers-most-are-worse-few-better/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [“Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/sing-in-me-muse-and-through-me-tell-the-story-of-that-man-skilled-in/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, Is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, Utters another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/hateful-to-me-as-are-the-gates-of-hell-is-he-who-hiding-one-thing-in/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [“And Zeus said: “Hera, you can choose some other time for paying your visit to Oceanus — for the present let us devote ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/and-zeus-said-hera-you-can-choose-some-other-time-for-paying-your/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Ruin, eldest daughter of Zeus, she blinds us all, that fatal madness—she with those delicate feet of hers, never touching the earth, gliding over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/ruin-eldest-daughter-of-zeus-she-blinds-us-all-that-fatal-madness-she/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [“Scepticism is as much the result of knowledge, as knowledge is of scepticism. To be content with what we at present know, is, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/scepticism-is-as-much-the-result-of-knowledge-as-knowledge-is-of/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Boy, everyone is stupid except me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/boy-everyone-is-stupid-except-me/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [“With that the dream departed, leaving him there, his heart racing with hopes that would not come to pass. He thought he would take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/with-that-the-dream-departed-leaving-him-there-his-heart-racing-with/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/tell-me-o-muse-of-that-ingenious-hero-who-travelled-far-and-wide/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Ah, beer, my one weakness. My Achille's heel, if you will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/ah-beer-my-one-weakness-my-achille-s-heel-if-you-will/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [My life is more to me than all the wealth of Ilius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/my-life-is-more-to-me-than-all-the-wealth-of-ilius/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Being popular is the most important thing in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/being-popular-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Urge him with truth to frame his fair replies And sure he will for Wisdom never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/urge-him-with-truth-to-frame-his-fair-replies-and-sure-he-will-for/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

[Explore all 639 Homer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

## 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": "Young men's minds are always changeable, but when an old man is concerned in a matter, he looks both before and after.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Homer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable-but-when-an-old-man-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable-but-when-an-old-man-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/homer-357_age_young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable_2951804.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/homer-357_age_young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable_2951804.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/homer-357_age_young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable_2951804.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Young men's minds are always changeable, but when an old man is concerned in a matter, he looks both before…” — Homer",
                "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": "Homer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Young men's minds are always changeable,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable-but-when-an-old-man-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/young-men-s-minds-are-always-changeable-but-when-an-old-man-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
