ProverbWisdom
English origin
English originLife is half spent before we know what it is.
Meaning: We waste years discovering our genuine desires and values, leaving limited time to pursue them meaningfully.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, and Italian
French: La vie est moitié usée avant qu’on ne sache ce qu’est la vie (literally: Life is half spent before one knows what life is)
Spanish: Si la juventud supiera, si la vejez pudiera (literally: If youth only knew, if old age only could)
German: Wenn die Jugend wüsste, wenn das Alter könnte (literally: If youth only knew, if old age only could)
Italian: Se gioventù sapesse, se vecchiaia potesse (literally: If youth only knew, if old age only could)
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