---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the younger generation seems to step…"
description: "\"“When the younger generation seems to step over the wall of the old generation, it's rarely ever because they surpassed them. It's usually because the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/lionel-suggs-1621_generations_when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-ste_1832691.jpg"
---

#  When the younger generation seems to step over the wall of…

![“When the younger generation seems to step over the wall of the old generation, it's rarely ever because they surpassed them. It's usually because the old generation took a step back and decided let the youngsters steal the show.” quote by Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/lionel-suggs-1621_generations_when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-ste_1832691.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/lionel-suggs-1621_generations_when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-ste_1832691.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/lionel-suggs-1621_generations_when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-ste_1832691.jpg)

> ““When the younger generation seems to step over the wall of the old generation, it's rarely ever because they surpassed them. It's usually because the old generation took a step back and decided let the youngsters steal the show.””

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

## About This Quote

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

Older generations often retreat, allowing younger people to lead, not because the youth are superior but because the elders step aside.

**In simple terms:** Old people step back, letting youth lead.

Key Takeaway

Encourage mentorship and space for new ideas.

Themes

generational dynamics leadership humility

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- family business
- political movements
- community projects

Key Concepts

Power shift intergenerational relations

Questions to Reflect On

- What can elders contribute when stepping back?
- How to balance respect for experience with fresh perspectives?

A Different Perspective

May overlook valuable experience of elders.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Younger generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger-generation/)

## Related quotes

> [If this is the degree of inflation planned for in advance, the real outcome is indeed likely to be such that most of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/if-this-is-the-degree-of-inflation-planned-for-in-advance-the-real/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [My grandmother could never have written a memoir, so 'The Gravedigger's Daughter' is a homage to her life, and to the lives of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/my-grandmother-could-never-have-written-a-memoir-so-the-gravedigger-s/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [“All this mundane: merely the ordinary experience of my whiplash generation. Caught between our mothers (who stayed home) and the next generation (who took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/all-this-mundane-merely-the-ordinary-experience-of-my-whiplash/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [Of course it's the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/of-course-it-s-the-same-old-story-truth-usually-is-the-same-old-story/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Everybody aspires to an affordable home, a secure job, better living standards, reliable healthcare and a decent pension. My generation took those things for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/everybody-aspires-to-an-affordable-home-a-secure-job-better-living/)

[Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/)

> [“We are born adventurers, and the love of adventures never leaves us till we are very old; old, timid men, in whose interest it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/we-are-born-adventurers-and-the-love-of-adventures-never-leaves-us/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [“People who begin sentences with "I may be old-fashioned but—" are usually not only old-fashioned but wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/people-who-begin-sentences-with-i-may-be-old-fashioned-but-are-3/)

[Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/)

> [I'm not from the generation that took chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bishop/i-m-not-from-the-generation-that-took-chances/)

[John Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bishop/)

> [My generation took on political equality. I believe young people, who have graduated into a poor economy, have an incentive to take on much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-holmes-norton/my-generation-took-on-political-equality-i-believe-young-people-who/)

[Eleanor Holmes Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-holmes-norton/)

> [My whole game plan, at first, was I wanted to rock out as hard as I could because usually you're old by the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/my-whole-game-plan-at-first-was-i-wanted-to-rock-out-as-hard-as-i/)

[Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/)

> [The old generation music is building the university for teaching the lessons the new generation music is building the kindergarten for painting the walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-son-beats/the-old-generation-music-is-building-the-university-for-teaching-the/)

[Black Son Beats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-son-beats/)

> [Old generation said ABSENCE makes HEART grow FONDER but in modern generation ABSENCE makes the HEART LOOK for ANOTHER.. : \|](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/old-generation-said-absence-makes-heart-grow-fonder-but-in-modern/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [I think as a celebrity, we have to teach the young generation how to speak with the old generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-chan/i-think-as-a-celebrity-we-have-to-teach-the-young-generation-how-to/)

[Jackie Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-chan/)

> [Sheikie love the music that make me happy when I eat the kebob. I love the old generation - the Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-iron-sheik/sheikie-love-the-music-that-make-me-happy-when-i-eat-the-kebob-i-love/)

[The Iron Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-iron-sheik/)

> [I'm from a generation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Our battleground was where we learned. It's not like the old generation where they used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ant-middleton/i-m-from-a-generation-of-iraq-and-afghanistan-our-battleground-was/)

[Ant Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ant-middleton/)

## More by Lionel Suggs

> [“When God broke his deal with me, I turned to the Devil. In the end, I wasn't happy. I realized that the imagination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/when-god-broke-his-deal-with-me-i-turned-to-the-devil-in-the-end-i/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“I don't simply create probabilities, I guide them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/i-don-t-simply-create-probabilities-i-guide-them/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“Expectation and fact are two different things that people usually cannot differentiate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/expectation-and-fact-are-two-different-things-that-people-usually/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“I stopped living a long time ago, in order to simply exist. Now I am trying to leave existence, in order to step into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/i-stopped-living-a-long-time-ago-in-order-to-simply-exist-now-i-am/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“Because it has become a tradition to wear a mask, it is the only thing that shows. The truth is blurry to those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/because-it-has-become-a-tradition-to-wear-a-mask-it-is-the-only-thing/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“The problem with freedom is that you are free to succeed, as well as free to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/the-problem-with-freedom-is-that-you-are-free-to-succeed-as-well-as/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“Making an effort can be equated to not doing anything at all. You don't make an effort to walk, you just walk. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/making-an-effort-can-be-equated-to-not-doing-anything-at-all-you-don/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“My reality is at the end of the dream. When I walk down the road of life, searching for the door that will guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/my-reality-is-at-the-end-of-the-dream-when-i-walk-down-the-road-of/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“The only way the weight of the world can break you down, is if you carry it the wrong way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/the-only-way-the-weight-of-the-world-can-break-you-down-is-if-you/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“People need to deviate away from the role of imitation, and start filling the role of innovation...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/people-need-to-deviate-away-from-the-role-of-imitation-and-start/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“I once met Death, but she told me that she was on her period. Because of that, I couldn't sleep with her. When she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/i-once-met-death-but-she-told-me-that-she-was-on-her-period-because/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“I never assume anything. I anticipate the possibilities and allow my imagination to create the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/i-never-assume-anything-i-anticipate-the-possibilities-and-allow-my/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“I don't wear armor. I don't carry weapons. An emperor needs only his imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/i-don-t-wear-armor-i-don-t-carry-weapons-an-emperor-needs-only-his/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“If pride is a sin, then love must be the mother of sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/if-pride-is-a-sin-then-love-must-be-the-mother-of-sin/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [“It was once stated that God didn't play with dice, but then I discovered that most of the Gods did play with dice. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/it-was-once-stated-that-god-didn-t-play-with-dice-but-then-i/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

[Explore all 222 Lionel Suggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

## More Generations quotes

> [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/)

[Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/)

> [“The fact that you are born means you have the potential of benefiting yourself and generations”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abegunde-sunday-o/the-fact-that-you-are-born-means-you-have-the-potential-of-benefiting/)

[Abegunde Sunday O](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abegunde-sunday-o/)

> [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [If every nation gets the government it deserves, every generation writes the history which corresponds with its view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-janeway/if-every-nation-gets-the-government-it-deserves-every-generation/)

[Elizabeth Janeway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-janeway/)

> [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think leading by example is important, as I know the next generation is watching us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-skolnik/i-think-leading-by-example-is-important-as-i-know-the-next-generation/)

[Michael Skolnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-skolnik/)

> [“Will this generation be able to turn things around and learn a valuable lesson from all of this? I hope so, but I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-b-powell/will-this-generation-be-able-to-turn-things-around-and-learn-a/)

[Aaron B. Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-b-powell/)

> [David Cronenberg is the most provocative, original, and consistently excellent North American director of his generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hoberman/david-cronenberg-is-the-most-provocative-original-and-consistently/)

J. Hoberman

> [The Next Generation Space Telescope, which will be located much further away from the Earth than the Hubble Space Telescope presently is, will also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-nicollier/the-next-generation-space-telescope-which-will-be-located-much/)

[Claude Nicollier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-nicollier/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/)

[Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/)

> [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/)

[Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/)

> [He removed several pages of death certificates, which were picked up by another breeze and sent into the trees. Some would fall with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/he-removed-several-pages-of-death-certificates-which-were-picked-up/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Progress is the injustice each generation commits with regard to its predecessors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/progress-is-the-injustice-each-generation-commits-with-regard-to-its/)

[Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/)

> [Pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/pay-no-heed-to-the-passing-religious-vogue-go-back-to-the-grass-roots/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

[Browse all 5,661 Generations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When the younger generation seems to step over the wall of the old generation, it's rarely ever because they surpassed them. It's usually because the old generation took a step back and decided let the youngsters steal the show.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lionel Suggs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-step-over-the-wall-of-the-old/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Generations"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-step-over-the-wall-of-the-old/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/lionel-suggs-1621_generations_when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-ste_1832691.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/lionel-suggs-1621_generations_when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-ste_1832691.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/lionel-suggs-1621_generations_when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-ste_1832691.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When the younger generation seems to step over the wall of the old generation, it's rarely ever because they…” — Lionel Suggs",
                "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": "Lionel Suggs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When the younger generation seems to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-step-over-the-wall-of-the-old/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/when-the-younger-generation-seems-to-step-over-the-wall-of-the-old/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
