[Ads-l] Adage: Youth is wasted on the young (George Bernard Shaw variant April 22, 1931)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

An entry on this topic is now available. Stephen and others are acknowledged.

Youth is wasted on the young
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/09/07/young/

Garson


On Mon, Sep 7, 2015 at 12:55 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Adage: Youth is wasted on the young (George Bernard Shaw
>               variant April 22, 1931)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Excellent citation, Stephen. Thanks. Inspired by your discovery I
> located an earlier citation.
>
> [ref] 1931 February 14, Rockford Register-Republic, Cook-Coos by Ted
> Cook (King Features Syndicate), Quote Page 8, Column 1, Rockford,
> Illinois. (GenealogyBank)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Someone asked Bernard Shaw what, in his opinion, is the most beautiful
> thing in this world.
>
> "Youth," he replied, "is the most beautiful thing in this world---and
> what a pity that it has to be wasted on children!"
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 7, 2015 at 8:17 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
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>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: Adage: Youth is wasted on the young (George Bernard Shaw
>>               variant April 22, 1931)
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Not earlier, but another 1931 variant; Irvin S. Cobb, interviewed by Harry =
>> Goldberg. Perhaps you have it already. I wonder if there is any basis to th=
>> e claim that is from Shaw and "recent."=20
>>
>> He quoted with deep feeling the recent epigram from Bernard Shaw: "The most=
>>  precious thing in the world is youth. Too bad it is wasted on children."
>>
>> May 10, 1931 Times-Picayune [New Orleans][AHN] p.83 col. 6.
>>
>> Stephen Goranson
>> http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/
>> _______________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society ... on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole ...
>> Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2015 2:38 PM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: [ADS-L] Adage: Youth is wasted on the young (George Bernard Shaw v=
>> ariant April 22, 1931)
>>
>> The well-known saying "Youth is wasted on the young" is commonly
>> attributed to George Bernard Shaw. Back in 2011, I located a New York
>> Times citation with a date of December 28, 1931 and shared it with
>> Charlie off-list. (Charlie may have already had that cite in his
>> files.) I was planning to create a website entry on the topic, but
>> indolence and distraction were victorious. The citation was the first
>> listed in The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs.
>>
>> Prodded by another email request, I searched again and was able to
>> find an earlier pertinent citation:
>>
>> [ref] 1931 April 22, Denton Record-Chronicle, New York Day by Day by
>> O. O. McIntyre, Quote Page 8, Column 2, Denton, Texas.
>> (Newspapers_com)[/ref]
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Lyda Roberti, that flaxen haired Polish "discovery" of Lou Holz,
>> continues to be welcomed joyously among the Broadway crowds. Her
>> youthfulness, marvelous mop of bright hair and comic paper dialect
>> encompass a combination seldom attained among the bright lights. Youth
>> is always wonderful. As George Bernard once exclaimed, it seems a
>> shame to waste it on children.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Earlier evidence and feedback welcome,
>> Garson
>>
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>
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