---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some authorities hold that the young…"
description: "\"Some authorities hold that the young ought not to lie at all. That, of course, is putting it rather stronger than necessary; still, while I cannot go q..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/mark-twain-22_accomplishment_some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-oug_2425026.png"
---

#  Some authorities hold that the young ought not to lie at…

![“Some authorities hold that the young ought not to lie at all. That, of course, is putting it rather stronger than necessary; still, while I cannot go quite so far as that, I do maintain, and I believe I am right, that the young ought to be temperate in the use of this great art until practice and…” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/mark-twain-22_accomplishment_some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-oug_2425026.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/mark-twain-22_accomplishment_some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-oug_2425026.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/mark-twain-22_accomplishment_some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-oug_2425026.png)

> “Some authorities hold that the young ought not to lie at all. That, of course, is putting it rather stronger than necessary; still, while I cannot go quite so far as that, I do maintain, and I believe I am right, that the young ought to be temperate in the use of this great art until practice and experience shall give them that confidence, elegance and precision which alone can make the accomplishment graceful and profitable.”

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

## About This Quote

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

Encourages young people to practice restraint in using persuasive language until they gain skill and confidence.

**In simple terms:** Young should be cautious with rhetoric until experienced.

Key Takeaway

Practice restraint before mastery.

Themes

ethics communication skill development

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- public speaking
- writing
- debate
- political persuasion

Key Concepts

rhetoric temperance confidence

Questions to Reflect On

- How does restraint affect learning?
- When should one be bold in speech?

A Different Perspective

Overcautiousness may stifle creativity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Accomplishment Graceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment-graceful-6149333/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Deceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Elegance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegance/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Maintain Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maintain-believe-6149331/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Ought Temperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-temperate-6149332/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) [Profitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profitable/) [Shall Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-confidence-1972559/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Stronger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stronger/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-ought-4113778/)

## Related quotes

> [Why, I wonder, do people who at one time or another have all been young themselves, and who ought therefore to know better, generalize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/why-i-wonder-do-people-who-at-one-time-or-another-have-all-been-young/)

[Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/)

> [Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/blessed-be-the-man-that-trusteth-in-the-lord-and-the-lord-shall-be/)

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

> [If I set for myself a task, be it so trifling, I shall see it through. How else shall I have confidence in myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-set-for-myself-a-task-be-it-so-trifling-i-shall-see-it-through/)

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

> [There is a calm for you where men and women Unroll the chill precision of moving feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-tate/there-is-a-calm-for-you-where-men-and-women-unroll-the-chill/)

[Allen Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-tate/)

> [The right tools for solving disputes within our community are precision instruments such as reason, communication, empathy, curiosity, and understanding. They are also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-k-chappell/the-right-tools-for-solving-disputes-within-our-community-are/)

[Paul K. Chappell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-k-chappell/)

> [The more I study the things of the mind the more mathematical I find them. In them as in mathematics it is a question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippolyte-taine/the-more-i-study-the-things-of-the-mind-the-more-mathematical-i-find/)

[Hippolyte Taine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippolyte-taine/)

> [The Bible is not interested in precisionism unless the context indicates that precision is particularly important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/the-bible-is-not-interested-in-precisionism-unless-the-context/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Someone like myself, who claimed to be a real madman, living and organized with a Pythagorean precision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/someone-like-myself-who-claimed-to-be-a-real-madman-living-and/)

[Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/)

> [I returned to poetry as a more precise way to describe the world, more precise than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/i-returned-to-poetry-as-a-more-precise-way-to-describe-the-world-more/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Yet, it had been Dimitri’s gentleness and thoughtfulness mixed with that deadliness that made him so wonderful. The same hands that wielded stakes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/yet-it-had-been-dimitri-s-gentleness-and-thoughtfulness-mixed-with/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [If physics leads us today to a world view which is essentially mystical, it returns, in a way, to its beginning, 2,500 years ago.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/if-physics-leads-us-today-to-a-world-view-which-is-essentially/)

[Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/)

> [How do you turn the invisible into the visible? The first step is to define your dream precisely; the only limit to what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/how-do-you-turn-the-invisible-into-the-visible-the-first-step-is-to/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [What is this world?--A term which men have got, To signify not one in ten knows what; A term, which with no more precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/what-is-this-world-a-term-which-men-have-got-to-signify-not-one-in/)

[Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/)

## More by Mark Twain

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-never-wrong-to-do-the-right-thing/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There is nothing training can't cannot do. Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-far-as-i-can-see-italy-for-fifteen-hundred-years-has-turned-all/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/begin-with-the-determination-to-succeed-and-the-work-is-half-done/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

[Explore all 3,277 Mark Twain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

## More Accomplishment quotes

> [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/)

[Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/)

> [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/)

[Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/)

> [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/)

[Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/)

> [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/)

[Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/)

> [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. People who go through life unscathed by sorrow and untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/suffering-in-life-can-uncover-untold-depths-of-character-and-unknown/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/)

[Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/)

> [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/)

[Anthony Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-sargent/)

> [I expected college to feel like a major accomplishment. I walked across the stage, eight months pregnant with my almost seven-year-old daughter watching in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-expected-college-to-feel-like-a-major-accomplishment-i-walked/)

[Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/)

> [Our purpose on this earth is not one single event, an accomplishment we can check off a list. There is no test. No passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/our-purpose-on-this-earth-is-not-one-single-event-an-accomplishment/)

[Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/)

> [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/)

[James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/)

[Browse all 1,598 Accomplishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some authorities hold that the young ought not to lie at all. That, of course, is putting it rather stronger than necessary; still, while I cannot go quite so far as that, I do maintain, and I believe I am right, that the young ought to be temperate in the use of this great art until practice and experience shall give them that confidence, elegance and precision which alone can make the accomplishment graceful and profitable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Twain"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-ought-not-to-lie-at-all-that-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accomplishment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-ought-not-to-lie-at-all-that-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/mark-twain-22_accomplishment_some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-oug_2425026.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/mark-twain-22_accomplishment_some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-oug_2425026.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/mark-twain-22_accomplishment_some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-oug_2425026.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some authorities hold that the young ought not to lie at all. That, of course, is putting it rather stronger…” — Mark Twain",
                "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": "Mark Twain",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Some authorities hold that the young...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-ought-not-to-lie-at-all-that-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/some-authorities-hold-that-the-young-ought-not-to-lie-at-all-that-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
