--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There can be no doubt that the young of…" description: "\"There can be no doubt that the young of today have to be protected against certain poisonous effects inherent in present-day civilization. Five social ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/kurt-hahn-28783_availability_there-can-be-no-doubt-that-the-young-of_1606330.png" --- # There can be no doubt that the young of today have to be… ![“There can be no doubt that the young of today have to be protected against certain poisonous effects inherent in present-day civilization. Five social diseases surround them, even in early childhood. There is the decline in fitness due to modern methods of locomotion; the decline in initiative due…” quote by Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/kurt-hahn-28783_availability_there-can-be-no-doubt-that-the-young-of_1606330.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/kurt-hahn-28783_availability_there-can-be-no-doubt-that-the-young-of_1606330.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/kurt-hahn-28783_availability_there-can-be-no-doubt-that-the-young-of_1606330.png) > “There can be no doubt that the young of today have to be protected against certain poisonous effects inherent in present-day civilization. Five social diseases surround them, even in early childhood. There is the decline in fitness due to modern methods of locomotion; the decline in initiative due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis; the decline in care and skill due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship; the decline in self-discipline due to the ever-present availability of tranquilizers and stimulants, and the decline in compassion, which William Temple called "spiritual death.” [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern civilization harms youth through declining fitness, initiative, skill, self‑discipline, and compassion, requiring protective measures. **In simple terms:** Today's world weakens youth in many ways. Key Takeaway Protect and nurture youth. Themes health initiative skill discipline compassion Mood concerned hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - parenting - community programs - policy advocacy Key Concepts social decay modern lifestyle psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can societies rebuild these lost qualities? - What personal habits counteract these declines? A Different Perspective These declines can be mitigated with active engagement and supportive environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Availability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/availability/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Childhood Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-decline-6118297/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Craftsmanship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craftsmanship/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Decline Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline-compassion-6118300/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Dues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dues/) [Early childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-childhood/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Inherent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inherent/) [Initiative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/initiative/) [Locomotion Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locomotion-decline-6118298/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [No doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-doubt/) [Poisonous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poisonous/) [Present day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-day/) [Protected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protected/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-discipline/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Diseases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-diseases-6118299/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-death/) [Stimulants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stimulants/) [Surround](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surround/) [Temples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temples/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Weakened Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakened-tradition-6118301/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/a-nation-or-civilization-that-continues-to-produce-soft-minded-men/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Hold infinity in the palm of your hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/hold-infinity-in-the-palm-of-your-hand/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“The habits of the heart that we foster in this space—our responses and reactions—will determine whether the Land Between results in spiritual life or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-manion/the-habits-of-the-heart-that-we-foster-in-this-space-our-responses/) [Jeff Manion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-manion/) > [I believe there are two sides to the phenomenon known as death, this side where we live, and the other side where we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/i-believe-there-are-two-sides-to-the-phenomenon-known-as-death-this-2/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/begin-to-live-each-day-to-the-fullest-as-if-it-were-the-only-one-we/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [Compromise is necessary ... so long as you never give up who you are. That isn't compromise; that's spiritual death. You have to remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/compromise-is-necessary-so-long-as-you-never-give-up-who-you-are-that/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [“Thus the whole death is not the biological phenomenon of death but the spiritual reality whose "sting... is sin" (1 Cor. 15:56) - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-schmemann/thus-the-whole-death-is-not-the-biological-phenomenon-of-death-but/) [Alexander Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-schmemann/) > [There is little hope for us until we become tough-minded enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice, half-truths, and downright ignorance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/there-is-little-hope-for-us-until-we-become-tough-minded-enough-to-2/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [After death the soul possesses self-consciousness, otherwise, it would be the subject of spiritual death, which has already been disproved. With this self-consciousness necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/after-death-the-soul-possesses-self-consciousness-otherwise-it-would/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“Birth in the physical is death in the spiritual. Death in the physical is birth in the spiritual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/birth-in-the-physical-is-death-in-the-spiritual-death-in-the-physical/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“A person whom is dissatisfied with the existing constitution of the self might wish to eradicate the self. A spiritual death can take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-whom-is-dissatisfied-with-the-existing-constitution-of-the/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“We tend to have a limited concept of spiritual death as saying no only to things we want or covet -- our guilty pleasures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/we-tend-to-have-a-limited-concept-of-spiritual-death-as-saying-no/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I do have commitment phobia, which I think is underlied by death anxiety. I feel that if you are in a relationship, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-karpovsky/i-do-have-commitment-phobia-which-i-think-is-underlied-by-death/) [Alex Karpovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-karpovsky/) > [A nation that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/a-nation-that-continues-to-produce-soft-minded-men-purchases-its-own/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“The world is nearing spiritual death, and America is second only to Europe in the digging of its grave - a grave dug by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-trebesch-opper/the-world-is-nearing-spiritual-death-and-america-is-second-only-to/) [Gail Trebesch Opper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-trebesch-opper/) ## More by Kurt Hahn > [We are all better than we know. If only we can be brought to realise this, we may never be prepared to settle for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/we-are-all-better-than-we-know-if-only-we-can-be-brought-to-realise/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [The worth of a faith does not consist in the clarity with which it is stated but in the steadfastness with which it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/the-worth-of-a-faith-does-not-consist-in-the-clarity-with-which-it-is/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [Expeditions can greatly contribute towards building strength of character. Joseph Conrad in Lord Jim tells us that it is necessary for a youth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/expeditions-can-greatly-contribute-towards-building-strength-of/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [There are three ways of trying to win the young. There is persuasion, there is compulsion, and there is attraction. You can preach at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/there-are-three-ways-of-trying-to-win-the-young-there-is-persuasion/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [Your disability is your opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/your-disability-is-your-opportunity/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [Education must enable young people to effect what they have recognized to be right, despite hardships, despite dangers, despite inner skepticism, despite boredom, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/education-must-enable-young-people-to-effect-what-they-have/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [“There is more in us than we know if we could be made to see it; perhaps, for the rest of our lives we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/there-is-more-in-us-than-we-know-if-we-could-be-made-to-see-it/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [It is a sin of the soul to force young people into opinions ... but it is culpable neglect not to impel young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/it-is-a-sin-of-the-soul-to-force-young-people-into-opinions-but-it-is/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [Without the instinct for adventure, any civilization, however enlightened; any state, however well-ordered, will wilt and wither.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/without-the-instinct-for-adventure-any-civilization-however/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [The experience of helping a fellow man in danger, or even of training in a realistic manner to be ready to give this help,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/the-experience-of-helping-a-fellow-man-in-danger-or-even-of-training/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [There is more in you than you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/there-is-more-in-you-than-you-think/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [What is it that is done to our children that their puberty should deform them? They have the joy of movement; they have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/what-is-it-that-is-done-to-our-children-that-their-puberty-should/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [I regard it as the foremost task of education to insure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/i-regard-it-as-the-foremost-task-of-education-to-insure-the-survival/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [There exists within everyone a grand passion, an outlandish thirst for adventure, a desire to live boldly and vividly through the journey of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/there-exists-within-everyone-a-grand-passion-an-outlandish-thirst-for/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) > [Whenever you have to deal with a boy who is a rebel, remember that you must not fail at some time or other to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-hahn/whenever-you-have-to-deal-with-a-boy-who-is-a-rebel-remember-that-you/) [Kurt Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) [Explore all 19 Kurt Hahn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-hahn/) ## More Availability quotes > [God does not ask your ability Or your inability. He asks only your availability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/god-does-not-ask-your-ability-or-your-inability-he-asks-only-your/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [God does not ask about our ability, but our availability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-does-not-ask-about-our-ability-but-our-availability/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The electronics industry expanded rapidly and the seeds for the semiconductor and software revolution were planted. The postwar period also saw the suburbanization of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-electronics-industry-expanded-rapidly-and-the-seeds-for-the/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [If someone seems interested, but tells you they are spending time with someone else? Respect their choice and dont allow yourself to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-blake-michiels/if-someone-seems-interested-but-tells-you-they-are-spending-time-with/) [Jordan Blake Michiels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-blake-michiels/) > [It's long been accepted as fact that the availability of family planning services saves lives. Where women have access to these services, children and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/it-s-long-been-accepted-as-fact-that-the-availability-of-family/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [With that availability of cash coming in to your restaurant, get a chance when you buy your restaurant, pay it off first and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-treliving/with-that-availability-of-cash-coming-in-to-your-restaurant-get-a/) [Jim Treliving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-treliving/) > [That which distinguishes the new thought from the old is not a denial of this Divine Reality, but an affirmation of its immediate availability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/that-which-distinguishes-the-new-thought-from-the-old-is-not-a-denial/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [Casting is all about availability, as much as anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/casting-is-all-about-availability-as-much-as-anything-else/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [Those who have prophesied dreadful consequences as a result of the greater sexual freedom which the young assert - unwanted babies, venereal disease and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-ward/those-who-have-prophesied-dreadful-consequences-as-a-result-of-the/) [Colin Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-ward/) > [I've gone to big stadium rock concerts at some artist's invitation, and there's this invariable, fascinating and rather sad situation of concentric circles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-ve-gone-to-big-stadium-rock-concerts-at-some-artist-s-invitation/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [At each stage of development the child needs different resources from the family. During the first year, a variety of experience and the availability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kagan/at-each-stage-of-development-the-child-needs-different-resources-from/) [Jerome Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kagan/) > [ Whether or not science can be applied to that mental construct \[i.e. the designed entity\] is a matter of availability. If there is body… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/whether-or-not-science-can-be-applied-to-that-mental-construct-i-e/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The government may not, through the , interrupt that conversation... As the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a-never-ending-worldwide/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [Prescription drugs and heroin act in very similar ways on the brain. And, unfortunately, heroin, because of its widespread availability is a lot cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-botticelli/prescription-drugs-and-heroin-act-in-very-similar-ways-on-the-brain/) [Michael Botticelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-botticelli/) [Browse all 164 Availability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/availability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There can be no doubt that the young of today have to be protected against certain poisonous effects inherent in present-day civilization. Five social diseases surround them, even in early childhood. 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