I ran across this quote today while researching some Ancient Greek writers. I’ve seen the quote before, but it makes me chuckle every time so I thought I’d share it. How many times have you heard people complaining about the youth of today? Well . . .
“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on
frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond
words… When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and
respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly
disrespectful and impatient of restraint.”
— Hesiod, 8th century BC
In other words, “Kids today!” That’s Hesiod above. He does look like the kind of guy to yell, “Get off my lawn!” doesn’t he? Every generation seems to think that civilization is doomed because the kids today have no respect, no discipline, no work ethic, et cetera. We’ve been saying this for at least three thousand years, and yet somehow we’ve managed to survive as a species. Me? I’m more hopeful than Hesiod. I get to meet a lot of today’s youth at book signings, schools, and public events, and if my young readers are any indication, I think the next generation is going to do just fine!
