Article July 31, 1971 Issue

Signs of the Times

with contributions from Douglas MacArthur, Arnold J. Walker

From a speech by
General Douglas MacArthur
as reported in The Rotarian
Evanston, Illinois

Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind.... [It] is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life. It means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for adventure over love of ease. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.

People grow old only by deserting their ideals.... Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear, and despair— these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Signs of the Times

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access