Humble because of knowledge; mighty by sacrifice.
Rudyard KiplingRead
We have done with Hope and Honour. we are lost to Love and Truth, We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung; And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth. God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the loss of youthful ideals and the heavy burdens that come with growing up too quickly.
Rudyard Kipling's quote speaks to the disillusionment often experienced in youth as one confronts the harsh realities of life. It articulates a poignant sense of loss regarding the virtues of hope, honor, love, and truth, suggesting that as we mature, our innocence is overshadowed by our experiences and the associated torments. The phrase 'measure of our torment is the measure of our youth' emphasizes that the pains we feel in our formative years can define our life perspective, leaving us yearning for the simplicity and purity of earlier days.
Themes
YouthDisillusionmentLossHopeHonorTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a classroom discussion about the challenges young people face in today's world.
More from Rudyard Kipling
All quotes →Hear and attend and listen; for this is what befell and be-happened and became and was, O my Best Beloved, when the Tame animals were wild. The dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild -as wild as wild could be - and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself and all places were alike to him
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And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.
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Savings represent much more than mere money value. They are the proof that the saver is worth something in himself. Any fool can waste; any fool can muddle; but it takes something more of a man to save and the more he saves the more of a man he makes of himself. Waste and extravagance unsettle a man's mind for every crisis; thrift, which means some form of self-restraint, steadies it.
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Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established.
Rudyard KiplingRead
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