---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The young come in many guises: vigorous…"
description: "\"The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.\" — H..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/howard-jacobson-1484_come_the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-a_120675.jpg"
---

#  The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate…

![“The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.” quote by Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/howard-jacobson-1484_come_the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-a_120675.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/howard-jacobson-1484_come_the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-a_120675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/howard-jacobson-1484_come_the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-a_120675.jpg)

> “The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.”

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

## About This Quote

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

Youth displays diverse attitudes, from vigor to bitterness, and age does not guarantee passivity.

**In simple terms:** Young and old both defy stereotypes.

Key Takeaway

Avoid age-based assumptions.

Themes

age stereotypes youth elderly

Mood

wry insightful

Type

observation social commentary

When to use this quote

- intergenerational workshops
- workplace mentorship programs

Key Concepts

generational diversity social perception

Practical Applications

- challenge ageist language
- create mixed-age teams

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions do we make about energy at different ages?
- How can societies value contributions across the lifespan?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Mean spirited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-spirited/) [Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a pretty light and light-spirited person; I'm not a depressed guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-m-a-pretty-light-and-light-spirited-person-i-m-not-a-depressed-guy/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [Make the best of every situation & make sure that when people think of you, they think of a positive & spirited person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-the-best-of-every-situation-make-sure-that-when-people-think-of/)

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

> [“I wanted to let go, drop him, anything to get him out of my arms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-bodeen/i-wanted-to-let-go-drop-him-anything-to-get-him-out-of-my-arms/)

[S.A. Bodeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-bodeen/)

> [Honest and sincere acts mislead the wicked and cause them to lose their path to their own goals, because mean-spirited people usually believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-de-souvre-marquise-de-sable/honest-and-sincere-acts-mislead-the-wicked-and-cause-them-to-lose/)

[Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-de-souvre-marquise-de-sable/)

> [Harmony can not thrive in a climate of mistrust, cheating, bullying; mean-spirited competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/harmony-can-not-thrive-in-a-climate-of-mistrust-cheating-bullying/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [I never could tell a joke. I just started talking to the audience, and when the drunks would yell, "Hey, when do the broads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-never-could-tell-a-joke-i-just-started-talking-to-the-audience-and/)

[Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/)

> [“we are living in an era when much of the feminism on display to the public is petty, mean-spirited, obsessed with trivialities, man-hating and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/we-are-living-in-an-era-when-much-of-the-feminism-on-display-to-the/)

[Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/)

> [I think you can be conservative and fight for what you believe in without being mean-spirited or bash people or be ugly about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-gallagher/i-think-you-can-be-conservative-and-fight-for-what-you-believe-in/)

[Mike Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-gallagher/)

> [“for the next week we endured what can only be described as verbal abuse from anti-equality Christians. Truly, not all of those opposing marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/for-the-next-week-we-endured-what-can-only-be-described-as-verbal/)

[Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/)

> [ If they \[liberals\] didn't believe we were mean spirited they couldn't stay liberal. They have to believe they mean better than us, but we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/if-they-liberals-didn-t-believe-we-were-mean-spirited-they-couldn-t/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [I'm often asked why I left politics and went to Halliburton and I explain that I reached the point where I was mean-spirited, short-tempered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/i-m-often-asked-why-i-left-politics-and-went-to-halliburton-and-i/)

[Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/)

> [I've always been extremely conservative, but I've never been mean-spirited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-salmon/i-ve-always-been-extremely-conservative-but-i-ve-never-been-mean/)

[Matt Salmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-salmon/)

> [These days I am a teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded, conservative Christian bigot, but not a racist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-russell/these-days-i-am-a-teetotal-mean-spirited-right-wing-narrow-minded/)

[Jane Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-russell/)

> [“Certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/certainly-clumsy-embarrassing-unprincipled-and-mean-spirited-things/)

[David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/)

> [I didnt like the Survivor shows because of the mean-spirited aspect, and women certainly were part of whatever conflict they would create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/i-didnt-like-the-survivor-shows-because-of-the-mean-spirited-aspect/)

[Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/)

## More by Howard Jacobson

> [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [There's a simple arithmetical logic at work. Build more unaffordable and not always architecturally sympathetic apartments, watch the rents rise, the tarts leave, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/there-s-a-simple-arithmetical-logic-at-work-build-more-unaffordable/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [The novel is a thing of irony and ambiguity. That's at the heart of 'J', a world that has stopped arguing with itself. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-novel-is-a-thing-of-irony-and-ambiguity-that-s-at-the-heart-of-j/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [I was a 'reverence for life' man - 'see life steadily and see it whole' - in my days as a lecturer in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-was-a-reverence-for-life-man-see-life-steadily-and-see-it-whole-in/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [How Donald Trump has come so far with so few words - how he even managed to keep up conversationally with all those beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/how-donald-trump-has-come-so-far-with-so-few-words-how-he-even/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [It is a nonsense to me when people come along and tell me not to be pessimistic; or that culture has always been going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/it-is-a-nonsense-to-me-when-people-come-along-and-tell-me-not-to-be/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [For me a Writing Day was an occasion for self-reproach and panic, a time to lament the passing of the years, stare out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/for-me-a-writing-day-was-an-occasion-for-self-reproach-and-panic-a/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [Even the wordiest of men know there's a time to button it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/even-the-wordiest-of-men-know-there-s-a-time-to-button-it/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [That a nation's statuary will reflect beliefs and attitudes that are no longer current or congenial hardly needs arguing. In most instances, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/that-a-nation-s-statuary-will-reflect-beliefs-and-attitudes-that-are/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [“Was he a bad man or just a foolish one? He didn't feel bad to himself. As a husband he believed himself to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/was-he-a-bad-man-or-just-a-foolish-one-he-didn-t-feel-bad-to-himself/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [To a philosopher like Nietzsche, the Jew is culpable not for rejecting Christianity but for inventing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/to-a-philosopher-like-nietzsche-the-jew-is-culpable-not-for-rejecting/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [Shakespeare's always been sitting on my back, since I began reading. And, certainly, as a writer, he's who I hear all the time. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/shakespeare-s-always-been-sitting-on-my-back-since-i-began-reading/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [A novelist should make you realize nothing is stable. If you don't believe anything with robustness, you're doing something more radical than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/a-novelist-should-make-you-realize-nothing-is-stable-if-you-don-t/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [The Stop The War Coalition is a sort of home to Jew-haters because its hate music about Israel is so catchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-stop-the-war-coalition-is-a-sort-of-home-to-jew-haters-because/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [I've always said if a woman is looking for a good husband, she should go for a Jewish man past 60. Jewish men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-ve-always-said-if-a-woman-is-looking-for-a-good-husband-she-should/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

[Explore all 235 Howard Jacobson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

## More Come quotes

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/)

[Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [If you've got some to say to Ric Flair, you come say it to me, and I'll make the translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-piper/if-you-ve-got-some-to-say-to-ric-flair-you-come-say-it-to-me-and-i-ll/)

[Roddy Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-piper/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

> [Mihir is one of the most secure men that I have ever come across in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manini-mishra/mihir-is-one-of-the-most-secure-men-that-i-have-ever-come-across-in/)

[Manini Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manini-mishra/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [We'd always come into Syracuse for the Empire State Games and the stair fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-biden/we-d-always-come-into-syracuse-for-the-empire-state-games-and-the/)

[Beau Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-biden/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“More we know, more we come know that how less we know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souvik-khamrui/more-we-know-more-we-come-know-that-how-less-we-know/)

Souvik Khamrui

> [I mean, you've kind of got the track down, especially with ovals. The only thing that improves is that when race conditions come, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danica-patrick/i-mean-you-ve-kind-of-got-the-track-down-especially-with-ovals-the/)

[Danica Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danica-patrick/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [My preference is for people who come to rehearsal and get into the ring. I like a muscular actor who's playful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantello/my-preference-is-for-people-who-come-to-rehearsal-and-get-into-the/)

[Joe Mantello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantello/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

Browse all 13,032 Come quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Howard Jacobson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Come"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/howard-jacobson-1484_come_the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-a_120675.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/howard-jacobson-1484_come_the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-a_120675.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/howard-jacobson-1484_come_the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-a_120675.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person…” — Howard Jacobson",
                "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": "Howard Jacobson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The young come in many guises:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```