--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The young bamboo can be easily bent, but…" description: "\"The young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown bamboo breaks when it is bent with force. It is easy to bend the young heart towards God, but t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62b/ramakrishna-2451_bamboo_the-young-bamboo-can-be-easily-bent-but_2097114.png" --- # The young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown… ![“The young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown bamboo breaks when it is bent with force. It is easy to bend the young heart towards God, but the untrained heart of the old escapes the hold whenever it is so drawn.” quote by Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62b/ramakrishna-2451_bamboo_the-young-bamboo-can-be-easily-bent-but_2097114.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62b/ramakrishna-2451_bamboo_the-young-bamboo-can-be-easily-bent-but_2097114.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62b/ramakrishna-2451_bamboo_the-young-bamboo-can-be-easily-bent-but_2097114.png) > “The young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown bamboo breaks when it is bent with force. It is easy to bend the young heart towards God, but the untrained heart of the old escapes the hold whenever it is so drawn.” [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Flexibility in youth allows adaptation, while rigidity in age leads to breakage; spiritual openness is easier when the mind is young. **In simple terms:** Young minds bend, old minds break. Key Takeaway Cultivate openness early. Themes growth spirituality adaptability Mood reflective inspirational Type aphilosophical spiritual When to use this quote - education - personal development - elder care - faith practice Key Concepts flexibility rigidity spiritual openness Questions to Reflect On - How can you keep a flexible mindset later in life? - What practices help maintain openness? A Different Perspective Older minds may resist change despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bamboo/) [Bamboo Breaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bamboo-breaks-4172203/) [Bamboo Easily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bamboo-easily-4172205/) [Bent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bent/) [Bent Grown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bent-grown-4172206/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young at heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-at-heart/) [Young Bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-bamboo-4172204/) ## Related quotes > [God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/god-can-be-realized-through-all-paths-all-religions-are-true-the/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [Why are we deforesting for pulp and paper when we have a logical and efficient solution in plants like kenaf or bamboo? It doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/why-are-we-deforesting-for-pulp-and-paper-when-we-have-a-logical-and/) [Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/) > [When my father was posted to Malaysia, we'd take bacon-and-egg sandwiches in our backpacks and go hiking in the jungle or make bamboo rafts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/when-my-father-was-posted-to-malaysia-we-d-take-bacon-and-egg/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Well, it was just, the bars was all just like the bamboo roofs and everything. You know. As I say, to me, it's completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/well-it-was-just-the-bars-was-all-just-like-the-bamboo-roofs-and/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/learn-about-a-pine-tree-from-a-pine-tree-and-about-a-bamboo-plant/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [I'm the gurl wit the real big hair, bamboo earings got about two pair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teyana-taylor/i-m-the-gurl-wit-the-real-big-hair-bamboo-earings-got-about-two-pair/) [Teyana Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teyana-taylor/) > [“With each new course, he offers up little bites of the ethos that drives his cooking, the tastes and the words playing off each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-goulding/with-each-new-course-he-offers-up-little-bites-of-the-ethos-that/) [Matt Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-goulding/) > [“We talked about how terrible the natural world could be. Of course, the bamboo is only doing what it must. Everything obeys it's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-talked-about-how-terrible-the-natural-world-could-be-of-course-the/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/bamboo-is-not-a-weed-it-s-a-flowering-plant-bamboo-is-a-magnificent/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/notice-that-the-stiffest-tree-is-most-easily-cracked-while-the-bamboo/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [There is one thing sure about life: Life will push us hardly many times! When you are pushed, don't be surprised; stay firm like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-is-one-thing-sure-about-life-life-will-push-us-hardly-many/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-pine-if-you-want-to-learn-about-the-pine-or-to-the-bamboo/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [Memory that yearns to join the centre, a limb remembering the body from which it has been severed, like those bamboo thighs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/memory-that-yearns-to-join-the-centre-a-limb-remembering-the-body/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Just hopped off the plane came back from Vancouv Little white tee sum boobs & bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/just-hopped-off-the-plane-came-back-from-vancouv-little-white-tee-sum/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) ## More by Ramakrishna > [One must be very particular about telling the truth. Through truth one can realize God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/one-must-be-very-particular-about-telling-the-truth-through-truth-one/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [By the mind one is bound; by the mind one is freed. ... He who asserts with strong conviction: "I am not bound, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/by-the-mind-one-is-bound-by-the-mind-one-is-freed-he-who-asserts-with/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [So long as the bee is outside the petals of the lily, and has not tasted the sweetness of its honey, it hovers around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/so-long-as-the-bee-is-outside-the-petals-of-the-lily-and-has-not/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [God had created the world in play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/god-had-created-the-world-in-play/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [Sugar and sand may be mixed together, but the ant rejects the sand and goes off with the sugar grain; so pious men lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/sugar-and-sand-may-be-mixed-together-but-the-ant-rejects-the-sand-and/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [The world is impermanent. One should constantly remember death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/the-world-is-impermanent-one-should-constantly-remember-death/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [Meditate upon the Knowledge and Bliss Eternal , and you will also have bliss. The Bliss indeed is eternal, only it is covered and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/meditate-upon-the-knowledge-and-bliss-eternal-and-you-will-also-have/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [As for me, I consider myself as a speck of the dust of the devotee's feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/as-for-me-i-consider-myself-as-a-speck-of-the-dust-of-the-devotee-s/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [We laugh at the efforts of the musk deer to find the source of the scent which comes from itself and despair at our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/we-laugh-at-the-efforts-of-the-musk-deer-to-find-the-source-of-the/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [Too much study of the scriptures does more harm than good. The important thing is to know the essence of the scriptures. After that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/too-much-study-of-the-scriptures-does-more-harm-than-good-the/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [God has created the world in play, as it were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/god-has-created-the-world-in-play-as-it-were/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [One cannot completely get rid of the six passions: lust, anger, greed, and the like. Therefore one should direct them to God. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/one-cannot-completely-get-rid-of-the-six-passions-lust-anger-greed/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [It's enough to have faith in one aspect of God. But never get into your head that your faith alone is true and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-s-enough-to-have-faith-in-one-aspect-of-god-but-never-get-into/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [The supreme purpose and goal for human life... is to cultivate love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/the-supreme-purpose-and-goal-for-human-life-is-to-cultivate-love/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) [Explore all 165 Ramakrishna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) ## More Bamboo quotes > [Just hopped off the plane came back from Vancouv Little white tee sum boobs & bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/just-hopped-off-the-plane-came-back-from-vancouv-little-white-tee-sum/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [Memory that yearns to join the centre, a limb remembering the body from which it has been severed, like those bamboo thighs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/memory-that-yearns-to-join-the-centre-a-limb-remembering-the-body/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-pine-if-you-want-to-learn-about-the-pine-or-to-the-bamboo/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [There is one thing sure about life: Life will push us hardly many times! When you are pushed, don't be surprised; stay firm like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-is-one-thing-sure-about-life-life-will-push-us-hardly-many/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/notice-that-the-stiffest-tree-is-most-easily-cracked-while-the-bamboo/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/bamboo-is-not-a-weed-it-s-a-flowering-plant-bamboo-is-a-magnificent/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [“We talked about how terrible the natural world could be. Of course, the bamboo is only doing what it must. Everything obeys it's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-talked-about-how-terrible-the-natural-world-could-be-of-course-the/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“With each new course, he offers up little bites of the ethos that drives his cooking, the tastes and the words playing off each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-goulding/with-each-new-course-he-offers-up-little-bites-of-the-ethos-that/) [Matt Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-goulding/) > [I'm the gurl wit the real big hair, bamboo earings got about two pair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teyana-taylor/i-m-the-gurl-wit-the-real-big-hair-bamboo-earings-got-about-two-pair/) [Teyana Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teyana-taylor/) > [Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/learn-about-a-pine-tree-from-a-pine-tree-and-about-a-bamboo-plant/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [Well, it was just, the bars was all just like the bamboo roofs and everything. You know. As I say, to me, it's completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/well-it-was-just-the-bars-was-all-just-like-the-bamboo-roofs-and/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [When my father was posted to Malaysia, we'd take bacon-and-egg sandwiches in our backpacks and go hiking in the jungle or make bamboo rafts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/when-my-father-was-posted-to-malaysia-we-d-take-bacon-and-egg/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Why are we deforesting for pulp and paper when we have a logical and efficient solution in plants like kenaf or bamboo? It doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/why-are-we-deforesting-for-pulp-and-paper-when-we-have-a-logical-and/) [Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/) > [The human capacity for burden is like bamboo- far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-human-capacity-for-burden-is-like-bamboo-far-more-flexible-than/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Browse all 63 Bamboo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bamboo/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown bamboo breaks when it is bent with force. 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