youth is wasted on the young
/ˌjuθ‿ɪz ˈweɪstɪd‿ɑn ðə ˈjʌŋ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.06 in modern English
40
Scrabble Score
23
Letters
2
Syllables
13
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Mark Twain once remarked that it is a pity youth is wasted on the young. Why do we think youth is wasted on the young? […] It [youth] is only valued after our eyes are dull and step no longer spry."
- "What is it [George Bernard] Shaw says—a pity youth is wasted on the young. Miss Lanahan, what are you doing with your life?"
- "The adage that youth is wasted on the young aches your body, for you know that even youth itself, does not have the time to burst forth with all the energy that nature prescribed for it."
- "George Bernard Shaw was right on the mark when he suggested that it's a pity youth is wasted on the young."
- "Maybe someday the old and the young will live together and work together. But like they say, youth is wasted on the young, and I would also say that wisdom is wasted on the old."
- "It is often said that youth is wasted on the young, but Joseph Szabo's remarkable photographs of that brief span between puberty and baby adulthood seek another determination. As an art teacher (and yearbook photo adviser) to the students of Long Island's Malverne High in the 70s and 80s, Szabo had the opportunity to document the confidential moments of adolescence from which most adults are barred."
Etymology
Origin uncertain. The phrase is often attributed to the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) (see, for example, the 1943 and 1979 quotations), but does not appear to be from any of his published works. It is sometimes also said to be by other people such as the American writer Mark Twain (1835–1910) and the Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde (1854–1900): see the 1937 and 2006 quotations.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌjuθ‿ɪz ˈweɪstɪd‿ɑn ðə ˈjʌŋ/
- British English: /ˌjuːθ‿ɪz ˈweɪstɪd‿ɒn ðə ˈjʌŋ/