The young should have our respect. How do we know that the coming generation may not prove to be the equal of the present one?
[後生可畏、焉知來者之不如今也]
Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 9, verse 23 (9.23) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Annping Chin (2014)]
(Source)
Originally numbered by Legge as v. 22. The numbering by translator is shown below. (Source (Chinese)). Alternate translations:A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present?
[tr. Legge (1861), 9.22]Reverent regard is due to youth. How know we what difference there may be in them in the future from what they are now?
[tr. Jennings (1895), 9.22]Youths should be respected. How do we know that their future will not be as good as we are now?
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898), 9.22]The young should inspire one with respect. How do we know that their future will not equal our present?
[tr. Soothill (1910), 9.22]You can respect ’em soon after birth, how can one know what will come up to present record?
[tr. Pound (1933), 9.22]Respect the young. How do you know that they will not one day be all that you are now?
[tr. Waley (1938), 9.22]Juniors are to be respected. How do we know that in future they will not be our equals?
[tr. Ware (1950), 9.23]It is fitting that we should hold the young in awe. How do we know that the generations to come will not be the equal of the present?
[tr. Lau (1979), 9.23]The young should be revered, for how does one know that what is to come will not be as good as the present?
[tr. Dawson (1993), 9.23]One should regard the young with awe: how do you know that the next generation will not equal the present one?
[tr. Leys (1997), 9.23]Young people are awe-inspiring. How do we know that in the future, they will not be so awe-inspiring as they are today?
[tr. Huang (1997), 9.23]The next generation could be feared, how do you know the future is not better than the now.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), 9.23, No. 232]The young should be held in high esteem. After all, how do we know that those yet to come will not surpass our contemporaries?
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998), 9.23]The young are to be held in awe. How do we know that what is to come will not surpass the present?
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998), 9.23]Hold the young in awe. How can we know their generation will not equal our own?
[tr. Hinton (1998), 9.23]We should look upon the younger generation with awe because how are we to know that those who come after us will not prove our equals?
[tr. Slingerton (2003), 9.23]Respect those younger than yourself. How do you know that the coming generation may not prove as good as our present one?
[tr. Watson (2007), 9.23]We should feel threatened by young people because they might supersede us.
[tr. Li (2020), 9.23]
Quotations about:
prospects
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
He’d been wrong, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and it was a flamethrower.
Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Mort (1987)
Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. And look at your body — what a wonder it is! Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the ways you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work — we must all work — to make the world worthy of its children.
Pablo Casals (1876-1973) Spanish cellist, conductor, composer
In Joys and Sorrows: Reflections by Pablo Casals as told to Albert E. Kahn (1970)
Studies themselves give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded by experience.
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
“Of Studies,” Essays, No. 50 (1625)
(Source)
So we’re just in this maze for now, trying to figure out if that glint in the distance is daylight, or a Minotaur with an Uzi.
J. Michael (Joe) Straczynski (b. 1954) American screenwriter, producer, author [a/k/a "JMS"]
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated, “ATTN JMS: Warner Bros” (8 Dec 1996)
(Source)
