---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A sapling must be hedged about for…"
description: "\"A sapling must be hedged about for protection, but when it becomes a tree, a hedge would be a hindrance. So there is no need to criticise and condemn t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/swami-vivekananda-53_criticise_a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-prote_2458166.jpg"
---

#  A sapling must be hedged about for protection, but when it…

![“A sapling must be hedged about for protection, but when it becomes a tree, a hedge would be a hindrance. So there is no need to criticise and condemn the old forms.” quote by Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/swami-vivekananda-53_criticise_a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-prote_2458166.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/swami-vivekananda-53_criticise_a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-prote_2458166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/swami-vivekananda-53_criticise_a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-prote_2458166.jpg)

> “A sapling must be hedged about for protection, but when it becomes a tree, a hedge would be a hindrance. So there is no need to criticise and condemn the old forms.”

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

## About This Quote

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

Early protection is needed, but later independence is essential; old structures should not be condemned when they become obsolete.

**In simple terms:** Protect youth, then let them grow.

Key Takeaway

Allow growth, avoid unnecessary criticism.

Themes

growth independence tradition

Mood

thoughtful balanced

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- education
- parenting
- organizational change

Key Concepts

social development cultural evolution

Questions to Reflect On

- When should you stop protecting and start trusting?
- How do you balance tradition with progress?

A Different Perspective

Old systems may still hold value; change can be disruptive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Criticise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticise/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Hedge Hindrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hedge-hindrance-628456/) [Hedged Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hedged-protection-628452/) [Hindrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hindrance/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Protection Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection-tree-628454/) [Sapling Hedged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sapling-hedged-628448/) [Saplings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saplings/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Tree Hedge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-hedge-628450/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [No doubt it is an evil to be bound by laws, but it is necessary at the immature stage to be guided by rules;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/no-doubt-it-is-an-evil-to-be-bound-by-laws-but-it-is-necessary-at-the/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I'm more encouraged by the saplings: new music groups, tiny new venues, entrepreneurial musician-composers who aren't waiting to be discovered but are instead building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edelstein/i-m-more-encouraged-by-the-saplings-new-music-groups-tiny-new-venues/)

[David Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edelstein/)

> [Fascism is the most inherently evil political ideology that man has ever devised. Wherever we see even the smallest sapling of fascism growing, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/fascism-is-the-most-inherently-evil-political-ideology-that-man-has/)

[Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/)

> [I became intensely aware of the being-ness of trees. The feel of rough sun-warmed bark of an ancient forest giant, or the cool, smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-became-intensely-aware-of-the-being-ness-of-trees-the-feel-of-rough/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [Some beliefs are rigid, like the body of death, impotent in a changing world. Other beliefs are pliable, like the young sapling, ever growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-lyon-fahs/some-beliefs-are-rigid-like-the-body-of-death-impotent-in-a-changing/)

[Sophia Lyon Fahs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-lyon-fahs/)

> [The life of a good man will hardly improve us more than the life of a freebooter, for the inevitable laws appear as plainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-life-of-a-good-man-will-hardly-improve-us-more-than-the-life-of-a/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [They absorb carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. What could be more desirable? And they look good in the bargain. Stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/they-absorb-carbon-monoxide-and-carbon-dioxide-and-give-out-oxygen/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot run away; and if they could, they would still be destroyed-chased and hunted down as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/any-fool-can-destroy-trees-they-cannot-run-away-and-if-they-could/)

[John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/)

> [And so there would always be more to remember that could no longer be seen...our history is always returning to a little patch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/and-so-there-would-always-be-more-to-remember-that-could-no-longer-be/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I thought that we were all like trees, flexible youths, saplings, who grow up heavy and stiff, spread seeds and get chopped down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-mccorkle/i-thought-that-we-were-all-like-trees-flexible-youths-saplings-who/)

[Jill McCorkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-mccorkle/)

> [A gnarled old branch dulls the blade that severs a sapling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/a-gnarled-old-branch-dulls-the-blade-that-severs-a-sapling/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [The dream in your heart may be bigger than the environment in which you find yourself. Sometimes you have to get out of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/the-dream-in-your-heart-may-be-bigger-than-the-environment-in-which/)

[Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/)

> [On Wenlock Edge the wood's in trouble;His forest fleece the Wrekin heaves;The wind it plies the saplings double, And thick on Severn snow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/on-wenlock-edge-the-wood-s-in-trouble-his-forest-fleece-the-wrekin/)

[A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/)

> [“trembling copse of young saplings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-d-baker/trembling-copse-of-young-saplings/)

[E.D. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-d-baker/)

> [I hate to see prudence clinging to the green suckers of youth; 'tis like ivy round a sapling, and spoils the growth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/i-hate-to-see-prudence-clinging-to-the-green-suckers-of-youth-tis/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

## More by Swami Vivekananda

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Renunciation is in our blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/renunciation-is-in-our-blood/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/where-can-we-go-to-find-god-if-we-cannot-see-him-in-our-own-hearts/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [It is the free alone which never changes, and the unchangeable alone which is free; for change is produced by something exterior to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/it-is-the-free-alone-which-never-changes-and-the-unchangeable-alone/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Above all, India is the land of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/above-all-india-is-the-land-of-religion/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [It is the Prana that is manifesting as motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/it-is-the-prana-that-is-manifesting-as-motion/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Though an atom is invisible, unthinkable, yet in it are the whole power and potency of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/though-an-atom-is-invisible-unthinkable-yet-in-it-are-the-whole-power/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Nothing can be produced without a cause, and the effect is but the cause reproduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/nothing-can-be-produced-without-a-cause-and-the-effect-is-but-the/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [All the strength and succour you want is within yourselves. Therefore make your own future. "Let the dead past bury its dead." The infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/all-the-strength-and-succour-you-want-is-within-yourselves-therefore/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Be brave! Be strong! Be fearless! Once you have taken up the spiritual life, fight as long as there is any life in you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/be-brave-be-strong-be-fearless-once-you-have-taken-up-the-spiritual/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“there is a continuity of mind, as the Yogis call it. The mind is universal. Your mind, my mind, all these little minds, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-is-a-continuity-of-mind-as-the-yogis-call-it-the-mind-is/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

[Explore all 1,889 Swami Vivekananda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

## More Criticise quotes

> [Choosing how you live should be up to you not the people that would criticise your well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hayward/choosing-how-you-live-should-be-up-to-you-not-the-people-that-would/)

[Courtney Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hayward/)

> [The worst thing is when people criticise you and you go, 'Yeah, you're right.' It's really hard to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckley/the-worst-thing-is-when-people-criticise-you-and-you-go-yeah-you-re/)

[James Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckley/)

> [It was just this interesting, my first, the first time you hear your child in any way criticize you. It's the worst review of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tea-leoni/it-was-just-this-interesting-my-first-the-first-time-you-hear-your/)

[Tea Leoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tea-leoni/)

> [A law which attempts to say you can criticise and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/a-law-which-attempts-to-say-you-can-criticise-and-ridicule-ideas-as/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [In my world, I have to keep my counsel at times, accept players are going to criticise various things, accuse you of various things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/in-my-world-i-have-to-keep-my-counsel-at-times-accept-players-are/)

[Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/)

> [“Who is the wrong person to criticise? You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [Personally, I hope that we British continue to criticise America - just as I hope Americans will criticise us. That is what friends do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/personally-i-hope-that-we-british-continue-to-criticise-america-just/)

[Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/)

> [To criticise a person for their race is a manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But to criticise their religion - that is a right. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticise-a-person-for-their-race-is-a-manifestly-irrational-and/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [Some people will appreciate U Some will criticize U In both d case U are d beneficiary One will motivate U, while d other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blossom/some-people-will-appreciate-u-some-will-criticize-u-in-both-d-case-u/)

[Blossom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blossom/)

> [I wouldn't criticise Carlo Ancelotti.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-villas-boas/i-wouldn-t-criticise-carlo-ancelotti/)

[Andre Villas-Boas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-villas-boas/)

> [Some people will always think I've got the eyes of Satan. Others will think I'm a TV god. People have the right to criticise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-kyle/some-people-will-always-think-i-ve-got-the-eyes-of-satan-others-will/)

[Jeremy Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-kyle/)

> [Criticise us on our cricket but don't get abusive with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarfaraz-ahmed/criticise-us-on-our-cricket-but-don-t-get-abusive-with-us/)

[Sarfaraz Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarfaraz-ahmed/)

> [“Wanamaker learned this lesson early, but I personally had to blunder through this old world for a third of a century before it even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/wanamaker-learned-this-lesson-early-but-i-personally-had-to-blunder/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [A country where a man is afraid to criticise another one is no socialist country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enver-hoxha/a-country-where-a-man-is-afraid-to-criticise-another-one-is-no/)

[Enver Hoxha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enver-hoxha/)

> [It's not a gift of mine, but one given to me, to be able to criticise myself and not be crushed, by myself or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/it-s-not-a-gift-of-mine-but-one-given-to-me-to-be-able-to-criticise/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

[Browse all 214 Criticise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticise/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A sapling must be hedged about for protection, but when it becomes a tree, a hedge would be a hindrance. So there is no need to criticise and condemn the old forms.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Swami Vivekananda"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-protection-but-when-it-becomes-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Criticise"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-protection-but-when-it-becomes-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/swami-vivekananda-53_criticise_a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-prote_2458166.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/swami-vivekananda-53_criticise_a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-prote_2458166.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/swami-vivekananda-53_criticise_a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-prote_2458166.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A sapling must be hedged about for protection, but when it becomes a tree, a hedge would be a hindrance. So…” — Swami Vivekananda",
                "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": "Swami Vivekananda",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A sapling must be hedged about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-protection-but-when-it-becomes-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-sapling-must-be-hedged-about-for-protection-but-when-it-becomes-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
