--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To get back my youth I would do anything…" description: "\"To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/oscar-wilde-16_exercise_to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything_132694.jpg" --- # To get back my youth I would do anything in the world… ![“To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/oscar-wilde-16_exercise_to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything_132694.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/oscar-wilde-16_exercise_to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything_132694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/oscar-wilde-16_exercise_to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything_132694.jpg) > “To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Youthful longing conflicts with responsible habits; the speaker rejects exercise, early rising, and respect. **In simple terms:** Youth wants fun, not discipline. Key Takeaway Balance fun with responsibility. Themes youth responsibility exercise discipline humor Mood witty thoughtful Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - daily routine - health - career - social expectations Key Concepts philosophy life choices social critique Questions to Reflect On - What small habit could improve your life? - How do you reconcile fun and duty? A Different Perspective Ignoring health harms long‑term well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Early Respectable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-respectable-1518121/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Exercise Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise-early-759890/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [World Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-exercise-1518120/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) [Youth World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth-world-435419/) ## Related quotes > [“I wish you would tell me your secret. To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-wish-you-would-tell-me-your-secret-to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“To win back my youth, there is nothing I wouldn't do - except take exercise, get up early, or be a useful member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-win-back-my-youth-there-is-nothing-i-wouldn-t-do-except-take/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The world is your exercise book, the pages on which you do your sums. It is not reality, though you may express reality there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-world-is-your-exercise-book-the-pages-on-which-you-do-your-sums/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“If I could get back my youth, I'd do anything in the world except get up early, take exercise or be respectable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-i-could-get-back-my-youth-i-d-do-anything-in-the-world-except-get/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [If the whole world depends on today's youth, I can't see the world lasting another 100 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-the-whole-world-depends-on-today-s-youth-i-can-t-see-the-world/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I used to stay up all night, roam around, drink, and carry on like everybody else. That all changed when I got older, started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-mathis/i-used-to-stay-up-all-night-roam-around-drink-and-carry-on-like/) [Johnny Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-mathis/) > [I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-to-exercise-early-in-the-morning-before-my-brain-figures-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today the world changes so quickly that in growing up we take leave not just of youth but of the world we were young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/today-the-world-changes-so-quickly-that-in-growing-up-we-take-leave/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [“Many signs point to the fact that the youth of the Third World will no longer tolerate living in circumstances that give them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rom-o-dallaire/many-signs-point-to-the-fact-that-the-youth-of-the-third-world-will/) [Roméo Dallaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rom-o-dallaire/) > [The future of the world belongs to the youth of the world, and it is from the youth and not from the old that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mann/the-future-of-the-world-belongs-to-the-youth-of-the-world-and-it-is/) [Tom Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mann/) > [Everyone believes in his youth that the world really began with him, and that all merely exists for his sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/everyone-believes-in-his-youth-that-the-world-really-began-with-him/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Oh ignorant youth, the world is not a joyous place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/oh-ignorant-youth-the-world-is-not-a-joyous-place/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I would like to recapture that freshness of vision which is characteristic of extreme youth when all the world is new to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-would-like-to-recapture-that-freshness-of-vision-which-is/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [We must accept the fact that transport and communications will bring the world in close relations and the youth of the world should have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-gordon-low/we-must-accept-the-fact-that-transport-and-communications-will-bring/) [Juliette Gordon Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-gordon-low/) > [Boy or girl, the youth of the world deserve opportunity and we as leaders have to be the ones that at least create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/boy-or-girl-the-youth-of-the-world-deserve-opportunity-and-we-as/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Exercise quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [One should try to locate power at the extreme of its exercise, where it is always less legal in character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/one-should-try-to-locate-power-at-the-extreme-of-its-exercise-where/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [What do you think of our gym <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-you-think-of-our-gym-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [One things guys have to remember is consistency... You can't make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/one-things-guys-have-to-remember-is-consistency-you-can-t-make-up-for/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [For girls who want to get their waistline down a little bit and don't have any weights in the house, they can actually use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepa/for-girls-who-want-to-get-their-waistline-down-a-little-bit-and-don-t/) [Pepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepa/) > [The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-johnson/the-human-body-has-been-designed-to-resist-an-infinite-number-of/) [Harry Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-johnson/) [Browse all 7,281 Exercise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything-in-the-world-except-take/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exercise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything-in-the-world-except-take/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/oscar-wilde-16_exercise_to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything_132694.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/oscar-wilde-16_exercise_to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything_132694.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/oscar-wilde-16_exercise_to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything_132694.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To get back my youth I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything-in-the-world-except-take/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-get-back-my-youth-i-would-do-anything-in-the-world-except-take/#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 } } ] } ```