--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In times past there were rituals of…" description: "\"In times past there were rituals of passage that conducted a boy into manhood, where other men passed along the wisdom and responsibilities that needed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/kent-nerburn-10008_adolescence_in-times-past-there-were-rituals-of-pass_1145981.png" --- # In times past there were rituals of passage that conducted… ![“In times past there were rituals of passage that conducted a boy into manhood, where other men passed along the wisdom and responsibilities that needed to be shared. But today we have no rituals. We are not conducted into manhood; we simply find ourselves there.” quote by Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/kent-nerburn-10008_adolescence_in-times-past-there-were-rituals-of-pass_1145981.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/kent-nerburn-10008_adolescence_in-times-past-there-were-rituals-of-pass_1145981.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/kent-nerburn-10008_adolescence_in-times-past-there-were-rituals-of-pass_1145981.png) > “In times past there were rituals of passage that conducted a boy into manhood, where other men passed along the wisdom and responsibilities that needed to be shared. But today we have no rituals. We are not conducted into manhood; we simply find ourselves there.” [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern society lacks structured rites that guide boys into adulthood, leaving them to navigate adulthood unassisted **In simple terms:** Rituals help transition to adulthood; their loss leaves a gap Key Takeaway Create personal or community rites to mark growth Themes growth ritual masculinity transition Mood thoughtful hopeful Type cultural motivational When to use this quote - coming‑of‑age ceremonies - mentor programs - community service projects - storytelling circles Key Concepts anthropology psychology social tradition Questions to Reflect On - What personal milestones can you celebrate? - How can community support young men today? A Different Perspective Rituals can be exclusionary; not all cultures need formal rites ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Manhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manhood/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Times past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times-past/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not really a relationship expert but ...I'm an expert on manhood and what men think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/i-m-not-really-a-relationship-expert-but-i-m-an-expert-on-manhood-and/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [I want to identify what a genuine man does—the virtues, the habits, the disciplines, the duties, the actions of true manhood—and then call men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mansfield/i-want-to-identify-what-a-genuine-man-does-the-virtues-the-habits-the/) [Stephen Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mansfield/) > [I want to play a real man in all my films, and I define manhood simply: men should be tough, fair, and courageous, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-want-to-play-a-real-man-in-all-my-films-and-i-define-manhood-simply/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [“The natural gods of men are other men, mythic or real, who embody manhood in men's eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-donovan/the-natural-gods-of-men-are-other-men-mythic-or-real-who-embody/) [Jack Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-donovan/) > [Literary men are being employed to praise a big business man personally, as men used to praise a king. 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Recognise your true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adi-shankara/give-up-identification-with-this-mass-of-flesh-as-well-as-with-what/) [Adi Shankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adi-shankara/) > [Life, to be worthy of a rational being, must be always in progression; we must always purpose to do more or better than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/life-to-be-worthy-of-a-rational-being-must-be-always-in-progression/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [At times in the past, the U.S. did not restrict the number of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hawkins/at-times-in-the-past-the-u-s-did-not-restrict-the-number-of-immigrants/) [Jeff Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hawkins/) > [For I assure Your Majesty that if God had not mysteriously assisted us and the victory had gone to Narváez, it would have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hernando-cortes/for-i-assure-your-majesty-that-if-god-had-not-mysteriously-assisted/) [Hernando Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hernando-cortes/) > [In times past...it was my habit to talk glibly of the right of man to land. 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When you are gone, you are gone. It isn't a problem to be gone, so long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/when-you-are-here-you-are-here-when-you-are-gone-you-are-gone-it-isn/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [We measure our presence in generations; we cannot dig down ten thousand years and find our bones. Our arrival is scribed upon the line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/we-measure-our-presence-in-generations-we-cannot-dig-down-ten/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [“Now is the moment when I must pause and lift my heart — now, before the day fragments and my consciousness shatters into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/now-is-the-moment-when-i-must-pause-and-lift-my-heart-now-before-the/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [When all the words have been written, and all the phrases have been spoken, the great mystery of life will still remain. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/when-all-the-words-have-been-written-and-all-the-phrases-have-been/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [“Loneliness is like sitting in an empty room and being aware of the space around you. It is a condition of separateness. Solitude is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/loneliness-is-like-sitting-in-an-empty-room-and-being-aware-of-the/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) [Explore all 68 Kent Nerburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) ## More Adolescence quotes > [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. 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