Quote of the Day by Brad Pitt: “Personally I like ageing. With age comes…wisdom. Give me wisdom over youth any day.”
If it is true that with age comes wisdom — and who better to affirm that, than Brad Pitt? — then there’s an obverse. When you’re younger you’re less wise. You have less wisdom. Why give the vote to 16 year olds? Their brains are still developing, let alone wise. They don’t know nuffink!
On the cusp of my ninth decade, I’m inclined to agree with Brad. But “give me wisdom over youth”…. “any day”? Hmmm…. I don’t know, Brad.
There’s heaps of things about youth that are terrific. Devil-may-care, fearlessness, and lack of wisdom….
Brad’s quote reminds me of Confucius. My favourite lines, from the Confucian Analects:
三十而立
四十而不惑
五十而知天命
六十而耳顺
七十而从心所欲，不逾矩
Sānshí érlì
sìshí ér bùhuò
wǔshí ér zhī tiānmìng
liùshí ér ěrshùn
qīshí ér cóngxīnsuǒyù, bù yú jǔ
At thirty, you can stand firm;
at forty, you’re free from doubt;
at fifty, you know the mandate of Heaven;
at sixty, your ear is attuned to the truth;
at seventy, you can follow your heart's desire, without transgressing the rules.
