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Always the prime of life
Many
Many men write to me about the matter of their age.
One man writes
"I am 51. Am I too old to start a business
of
my own?" And another writes
"I am 18. Am I too young to go on the road as a salesman ?" And so on. Now, I have a theory, or perhaps I should call it a belief, that it is "Always the Prime of life."
How old a man is that simply does not matter. He can be creative and influential at any age.
Mozart was giving little concerts when he was 6 and Michelangelo did his most famous work when he was 87.
Goethe began to be a writer when he was 10, and wrote his greatest production Faust when he was 80.
Coleridge was 25 when he wrote his most famous poem "The Ancient Mariner" and Leonardo da Vinci was 77 when he painted his most famous picture "The Last Supper."
Joan of Arc was 16 when she became the heroine of France, and Cromwell was still an unknown farmer at 40. Kelvin made his first scientific discovery when he was 18 and he improved his marine compass when he was 83.
So, what about this matter of age? Is it not a complete delusion that a man can be either too old or too young to accomplish any useful work?
A man's creative life can begin at 8 or at 80. This is a fact we discover by reading the lives of great men. As far as usefulness and achievements are concerned, it is always the prime of life. No matter how young you are, or how old you are, you are not handicapped by age.
-Herbert Casson
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