--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is…" description: "\"Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is strong enough to walk alone.\" — John Dryden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/john-dryden-491_age_reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is_2812806.jpg" --- # Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is strong enough to… ![“Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is strong enough to walk alone.” quote by John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/john-dryden-491_age_reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is_2812806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/john-dryden-491_age_reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is_2812806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/john-dryden-491_age_reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is_2812806.jpg) > “Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is strong enough to walk alone.” [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reason is seen as a support that older people rely on, while youth trusts its own instincts. **In simple terms:** Youth trusts itself more than reason. Key Takeaway Trust youthful intuition. Themes youth reason independence Mood reflective confident Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal decisions - career choices - creative projects - adventure - risk taking Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you rely on reason or intuition? - When is youthful confidence harmful? A Different Perspective Youth may lack experience, leading to poor judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-youth-288751/) [Crutch Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crutch-age-3531255/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Crutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-crutch-3531254/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) [Strong Walk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-walk-835793/) [Walk Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk-alone/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) [Youth Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth-strong-3531253/) ## Related quotes > [“They’ll grow, my sweet, until one day they’ll be strong enough to walk the whole world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/they-ll-grow-my-sweet-until-one-day-they-ll-be-strong-enough-to-walk/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [She was strong enough to walk away; but weak enough to look back and miss it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-was-strong-enough-to-walk-away-but-weak-enough-to-look-back-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The hardest thing for me is walking. 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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/) > [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/) > [It is easier to counterfeit old age than youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/it-is-easier-to-counterfeit-old-age-than-youth/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) ## More by John Dryden > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Trust on and think To-morrow will repay; To-morrow's falser than the former day; Lies worse; and while it says, we shall be blest With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/trust-on-and-think-to-morrow-will-repay-to-morrow-s-falser-than-the/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [To take up half on trust, and half to try, Name it not faith but bungling bigotry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/to-take-up-half-on-trust-and-half-to-try-name-it-not-faith-but/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Among our crimes oblivion may be set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/among-our-crimes-oblivion-may-be-set/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/and-after-hearing-what-our-church-can-say-if-still-our-reason-runs/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Happy, happy, happy pair! 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Alone she came, no sleep their eyes to close. Alone and black she came; no friendly stars arose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/night-came-but-unattended-with-repose-alone-she-came-no-sleep-their/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) [Explore all 520 John Dryden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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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? 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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": "Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is strong enough to walk alone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Dryden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is-strong-enough-to-walk-alone/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is-strong-enough-to-walk-alone/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/john-dryden-491_age_reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is_2812806.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/john-dryden-491_age_reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is_2812806.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/john-dryden-491_age_reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is_2812806.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is strong enough to walk alone.” — John Dryden", "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": "John Dryden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reason is a crutch for age,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is-strong-enough-to-walk-alone/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/reason-is-a-crutch-for-age-but-youth-is-strong-enough-to-walk-alone/#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 } } ] } ```