---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is what I like; that is what a young…"
description: "\"That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be. Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them should know no moderation, and leave him no ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/jane-austen-39_eagerness_that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young_838493.jpg"
---

#  That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be…

![“That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be. Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them should know no moderation, and leave him no sense of fatigue.” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/jane-austen-39_eagerness_that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young_838493.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/jane-austen-39_eagerness_that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young_838493.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/jane-austen-39_eagerness_that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young_838493.jpg)

> “That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be. Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them should know no moderation, and leave him no sense of fatigue.”

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

## About This Quote

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

A young man should pursue his passions with unbridled enthusiasm, never tiring.

**In simple terms:** Pursue passions without fatigue.

Key Takeaway

Embrace vigor in all pursuits.

Themes

growth enthusiasm youth

Mood

energetic idealistic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career development
- creative projects
- academic research
- personal hobbies

Key Concepts

human nature motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you sustain energy over time?
- When is moderation beneficial?

A Different Perspective

Excessive zeal may lead to burnout without balance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Eagerness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagerness/) [Eagerness Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagerness-know-621503/) [Fatigue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatigue/) [Like Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-young/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moderation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moderation/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Pursuits Eagerness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuits-eagerness-621502/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/)

## Related quotes

> [“She read with an eagerness which hardly left her power of comprehension, and from impatience of knowing what the next sentence might bring, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-read-with-an-eagerness-which-hardly-left-her-power-of/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [She was sensible and clever, but eager in everything; her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-was-sensible-and-clever-but-eager-in-everything-her-sorrows-her/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [At AZ the approach is really like it was when I was young - we train religiously and for long hours, over and over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jozy-altidore/at-az-the-approach-is-really-like-it-was-when-i-was-young-we-train/)

[Jozy Altidore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jozy-altidore/)

> [“By genetics and upbringing, I was fated to follow the same path as them—just like so many young adults with dysfunctional childhoods who fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/by-genetics-and-upbringing-i-was-fated-to-follow-the-same-path-as/)

[Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/)

> [When I was young - like, young young - I would read all the time. I would read when I was walking places. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gondelman/when-i-was-young-like-young-young-i-would-read-all-the-time-i-would/)

[Josh Gondelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gondelman/)

> [People forget what it was like to be young, the stuff I'm expressing now is for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/people-forget-what-it-was-like-to-be-young-the-stuff-i-m-expressing/)

[Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/)

> [I know what it's like to be young and to feel like you don't belong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rippon/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-young-and-to-feel-like-you-don-t-belong/)

[Adam Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rippon/)

> [I sort of felt like being young was normally written about as being very fun and light-hearted. And I think that's true, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-kohanski/i-sort-of-felt-like-being-young-was-normally-written-about-as-being/)

[Chloe Kohanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-kohanski/)

> [“So, is it too young for you?" He leaned over, lips coming to mine, arms pulling me into a kiss, soft at first, tentative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/so-is-it-too-young-for-you-he-leaned-over-lips-coming-to-mine-arms/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [Programming in Go is like being young again (but more productive!).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anneli-jaatteenmaki/programming-in-go-is-like-being-young-again-but-more-productive/)

[Anneli Jaatteenmaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anneli-jaatteenmaki/)

> [I think it's wrong not to allow someone the right to have a problem because of their age. People say, 'Well, they're young. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hughes/i-think-it-s-wrong-not-to-allow-someone-the-right-to-have-a-problem/)

[John Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hughes/)

> [“All these old men want it to be like it was when they were young. But it'll never be like that again, and they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-el-akkad/all-these-old-men-want-it-to-be-like-it-was-when-they-were-young-but/)

[Omar El Akkad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-el-akkad/)

> [I feel like, when we are young, especially, while we are experiencing so many 'firsts,' when songs move us, we recall exactly where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-hayes/i-feel-like-when-we-are-young-especially-while-we-are-experiencing-so/)

[Walker Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-hayes/)

> [I feel like young people, more than anyone in the country, always have their moral compass on perfectly straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/i-feel-like-young-people-more-than-anyone-in-the-country-always-have/)

[Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/)

> [“Willmore: There is no sinner like a young saint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aphra-behn/willmore-there-is-no-sinner-like-a-young-saint/)

[Aphra Behn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aphra-behn/)

## More by Jane Austen

> [Let us have the luxury of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/let-us-have-the-luxury-of-silence/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“How earnestly did she then wish that her former opinions had been more reasonable, more moderate!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/how-earnestly-did-she-then-wish-that-her-former-opinions-had-been/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“it is very well worth-while to be tormented for two or three years of one's life, for the sake of being able to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-very-well-worth-while-to-be-tormented-for-two-or-three-years-of/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [ “Everybody is taken in at some period or another. \[...\] In marriage especially. \[...\] There is not one in a hundred of either sex,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/everybody-is-taken-in-at-some-period-or-another-in-marriage/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [She knew that what Marianne and her mother conjectured one moment, they believed the next: that with them, to wish was to hope, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-knew-that-what-marianne-and-her-mother-conjectured-one-moment/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“…for I look upon the Frasers to be about as unhappy as most other married people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/for-i-look-upon-the-frasers-to-be-about-as-unhappy-as-most-other/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“It raises my spleen more than any thing, to have the pretence of being asked, of being given a choice, and at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-raises-my-spleen-more-than-any-thing-to-have-the-pretence-of-being/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [her spirits wanted the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/her-spirits-wanted-the-solitude-and-silence-which-only-numbers-could/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“But in such cases as these a good memory is unpardonable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/but-in-such-cases-as-these-a-good-memory-is-unpardonable/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“...the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-pleasantness-of-an-employment-does-not-always-evince-its-propriety/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“I must tell you what you will not ask, though I may wish it unsaid the next moment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-must-tell-you-what-you-will-not-ask-though-i-may-wish-it-unsaid-the/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/lady-catherine-seemed-quite-astonished-at-not-receiving-a-direct/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“He had suffered, and he had learnt to think, two advantages that he had never known before…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/he-had-suffered-and-he-had-learnt-to-think-two-advantages-that-he-had/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Eliot's character; vanity of person and of situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/vanity-was-the-beginning-and-the-end-of-sir-walter-eliot-s-character/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

[Explore all 2,013 Jane Austen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

## More Eagerness quotes

> [A zealous disciple expressed a desire to teach others the Truth and asked the Master what he thought about this. The Master said, "Wait."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/a-zealous-disciple-expressed-a-desire-to-teach-others-the-truth-and/)

[Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/)

> [I found a special eagerness among the younger, and I am sorry to say, the more intelligent Negroes, to dismiss the spiritual as something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/i-found-a-special-eagerness-among-the-younger-and-i-am-sorry-to-say/)

[Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/)

> [I arise full of eagerness and energy, knowing well what achievement lies ahead of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/i-arise-full-of-eagerness-and-energy-knowing-well-what-achievement/)

[Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/)

> [“morning,” Kenny remarked, his fingers clutching at the glass with remarkable eagerness. “Who the fuck cares?” “Point taken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-reed/morning-kenny-remarked-his-fingers-clutching-at-the-glass-with/)

[J.C. Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-reed/)

> [There is surely no more unselfish person than the anthologist. For while all we others are striving to ensure our own immortality with eagerness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-surely-no-more-unselfish-person-than-the-anthologist-for/)

[Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/)

> [One great flaw in the reforming passion is that in its eagerness to remedy social wrongs it tends to neglect, certainly to undervalue, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/one-great-flaw-in-the-reforming-passion-is-that-in-its-eagerness-to/)

[Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/)

> [“available to them, generally display a refreshing enthusiasm and eagerness about learning. Learning isn’t a chore, they’ve discovered, it’s a by-product of engaging in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-dobson/available-to-them-generally-display-a-refreshing-enthusiasm-and/)

[Linda Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-dobson/)

> [I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-did-not-believe-him-capable-of-love-that-is-an-emotion-in-which/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [God never forces a person's will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. True surrender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/god-never-forces-a-person-s-will-into-surrender-and-he-never-begs-he/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“Soon enough, we are all going to leave this earth for good. The thought of this alone should make us love deeply, and live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/soon-enough-we-are-all-going-to-leave-this-earth-for-good-the-thought/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [Baseball is the exponent of American Courage, Confidence, Combativeness, American Dash, Discipline, Determination, American Energy, Eagerness, Enthusiasm, American Pluck, Persistency, Performance, American Spirit, Sagacity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goodwill-spalding/baseball-is-the-exponent-of-american-courage-confidence-combativeness/)

[Albert Goodwill Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goodwill-spalding/)

> [The products we design are going to be ridden in, sat upon, looked at, talked into, activated, operated, or in some way used by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-dreyfuss/the-products-we-design-are-going-to-be-ridden-in-sat-upon-looked-at/)

[Henry Dreyfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-dreyfuss/)

> [Do you love this world? Do you cherish your humble and silky life? Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath? Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/do-you-love-this-world-do-you-cherish-your-humble-and-silky-life-do/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [Eagerness to please attracts bullies and bores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/eagerness-to-please-attracts-bullies-and-bores/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [As for Vietnam, what matters is that Kennedy successfully resisted pressure to send anything more than military advisers, a stance that was a likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/as-for-vietnam-what-matters-is-that-kennedy-successfully-resisted/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

[Browse all 178 Eagerness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagerness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be. Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them should know no moderation, and leave him no sense of fatigue.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jane Austen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young-man-ought-to-be-whatever-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Eagerness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young-man-ought-to-be-whatever-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/jane-austen-39_eagerness_that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young_838493.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/jane-austen-39_eagerness_that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young_838493.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/jane-austen-39_eagerness_that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young_838493.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be. Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them…” — Jane Austen",
                "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": "Jane Austen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That is what I like; that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young-man-ought-to-be-whatever-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/that-is-what-i-like-that-is-what-a-young-man-ought-to-be-whatever-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
