--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very important for men to look…" description: "\"It's very important for men to look downward, to the next generation\" — James Hillman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/james-hillman-2336_downward_it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-down_3075397.png" --- # It's very important for men to look downward, to the next… ![“It's very important for men to look downward, to the next generation” quote by James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/james-hillman-2336_downward_it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-down_3075397.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/james-hillman-2336_downward_it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-down_3075397.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/james-hillman-2336_downward_it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-down_3075397.png) > “It's very important for men to look downward, to the next generation” [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Men should look beyond themselves to support and guide future generations. **In simple terms:** Men should mentor younger people. Key Takeaway Invest in the next generation. Themes mentorship legacy responsibility Mood thoughtful encouraging Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - parenting - teaching - leadership - community building Key Concepts psychology generational impact Questions to Reflect On - Who can you mentor today? - How does caring for others shape your purpose? A Different Perspective Focusing outward can neglect personal well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Downward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downward/) [Downward Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downward-generation-5221399/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-men-968559/) [Look Downward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-downward-3613161/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-look/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-generation/) ## Related quotes > [No one can afford to look downward for his enjoyments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starr-jordan/no-one-can-afford-to-look-downward-for-his-enjoyments/) [David Starr Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starr-jordan/) > [“These are the only important men, the doers. And here in Germany a doer has risen. A vital man is changing things. The whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-kressmann-taylor/these-are-the-only-important-men-the-doers-and-here-in-germany-a-doer/) [Kathrine Kressmann Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-kressmann-taylor/) > [I think somebody ought to do a survey as to how many great, important men have quit to spend time with their families who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-think-somebody-ought-to-do-a-survey-as-to-how-many-great-important-2/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [I suppose it's part of being a good politician to be able to spot the most important men in any group without outside assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ford/i-suppose-it-s-part-of-being-a-good-politician-to-be-able-to-spot-the/) [Leslie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ford/) > [Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/human-culture-has-always-had-to-exist-under-the-shadow-of-something/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [It's always important to take time to study men -- important men. Friends and enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/it-s-always-important-to-take-time-to-study-men-important-men-friends/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [I think somebody ought to do a survey as to how many great, important men have quit to spend time with their families who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-think-somebody-ought-to-do-a-survey-as-to-how-many-great-important/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [“Some men will let you down because they get bored with you, or distracted. 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But they can no longer think like the child...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/men-look-back-on-the-children-who-were-once-themselves-and-attempt-to/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [“Two men look at the same bars: One sees mud and one sees the stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-langbridge/two-men-look-at-the-same-bars-one-sees-mud-and-one-sees-the-stars/) [Frederick Langbridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-langbridge/) ## More by James Hillman > [“Each life is formed by its unique image, an image that is the essence of that life and calls it to a destiny. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/each-life-is-formed-by-its-unique-image-an-image-that-is-the-essence/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Fear is a huge thing for older people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/fear-is-a-huge-thing-for-older-people/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [It's a terrible cruelty of predatory capitalism: both parents now have to work. A family has to have two incomes in order to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-a-terrible-cruelty-of-predatory-capitalism-both-parents-now-have/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [You know, people come to therapy really for a blessing. Not so much to fix what's broken, but to get what's broken blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/you-know-people-come-to-therapy-really-for-a-blessing-not-so-much-to/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Until the culture recognizes the legitimacy of growing down, each person in the culture struggles blindly to make sense of the darkness that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/until-the-culture-recognizes-the-legitimacy-of-growing-down-each/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [ “The first way has been excellently presented by David Holt in his lecture on “Jung and Marx.” \[1\] There Holt shows that Jung imagined his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/the-first-way-has-been-excellently-presented-by-david-holt-in-his/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [I'm the result of upbringing, class, race, gender, social prejudices, and economics. 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Sooner or later something seems to call us onto a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/there-is-more-in-a-human-life-than-our-theories-of-it-allow-sooner-or/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Depression opens the door to beauty of some kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/depression-opens-the-door-to-beauty-of-some-kind/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [The idea of death robs inquiry of its passionate vitality and empties our efforts of their purpose by coming to one predestined conclusion, death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/the-idea-of-death-robs-inquiry-of-its-passionate-vitality-and-empties/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [I'm in favor of destruction, aggression, hating things. Not bearing things anymore. 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We all have identity crises because a single identity is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/the-self-divided-is-precisely-where-the-self-is-authentically-located/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Love alone is not enough. Without imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail not because we have stopped loving but because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/love-alone-is-not-enough-without-imagination-love-stales-into/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) [Explore all 171 James Hillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) ## More Downward quotes > [What I was concerned about when I wrote the 'Downward Spiral' record was being a self-centred destructive force. 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The soul falls into an eclipse of itself and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/through-incarnations-some-beings-do-go-down-that-is-to-say-they/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There was no time anymore to be quiet or still or pray. So, in many ways, that's what led to my downward spin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/there-was-no-time-anymore-to-be-quiet-or-still-or-pray-so-in-many/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [“do not fear the one who is up but for the downward for he stands a better chance of getting up and the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojoquotes/do-not-fear-the-one-who-is-up-but-for-the-downward-for-he-stands-a/) [JojoQuotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojoquotes/) > [No one can afford to look downward for his enjoyments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starr-jordan/no-one-can-afford-to-look-downward-for-his-enjoyments/) [David Starr Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starr-jordan/) > [“The basic principle is that the very things that can be your downfall in life can be used to raise yourself. If you simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/the-basic-principle-is-that-the-very-things-that-can-be-your-downfall/) [Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/) > [In actual life a downward movement may sometimes be made the beginning of an ascent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/in-actual-life-a-downward-movement-may-sometimes-be-made-the/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [So whether you do your first downward dog at 14 or 44, it’s not your history but your presence on your mat that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-pattabhi-jois/so-whether-you-do-your-first-downward-dog-at-14-or-44-it-s-not-your/) [K. Pattabhi Jois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-pattabhi-jois/) > [The point of conservatism is not that it prevents movement forward and upward, but that it prevents movement backward and downward, into chaotic darkness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/the-point-of-conservatism-is-not-that-it-prevents-movement-forward/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Comedy is a downward slicing sword sometimes, looking down and laughing at people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/comedy-is-a-downward-slicing-sword-sometimes-looking-down-and/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [From forty to fifty a man must move upward, or the natural falling off in the vigor of life will carry him rapidly downward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/from-forty-to-fifty-a-man-must-move-upward-or-the-natural-falling-off/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [“The way upward and the way downward are the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/the-way-upward-and-the-way-downward-are-the-same/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [Life is most delightful on the downward slope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/life-is-most-delightful-on-the-downward-slope/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) [Browse all 57 Downward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downward/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's very important for men to look downward, to the next generation", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Hillman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-downward-to-the-next-generation/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Downward" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-downward-to-the-next-generation/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/james-hillman-2336_downward_it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-down_3075397.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/james-hillman-2336_downward_it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-down_3075397.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/james-hillman-2336_downward_it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-down_3075397.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's very important for men to look downward, to the next generation” — James Hillman", "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": "James Hillman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's very important for men to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-downward-to-the-next-generation/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-very-important-for-men-to-look-downward-to-the-next-generation/#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 } } ] } ```