ProverbWisdomGerman origin

Man lernt nie aus

Meaning: However old or experienced you are, there is always more to learn.

Literally: One never finishes learning

Example: “Mit siebzig hat meine Oma angefangen, Spanisch zu lernen. Man lernt nie aus.” — My grandmother started learning Spanish at seventy: you're never too old to learn.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, and 2 more languages

  • English: You're never too old to learn
  • French: On apprend à tout âge (literally: You learn at every age)
  • Spanish: Nunca es tarde para aprender (literally: It's never late to learn)
  • Japanese: 六十の手習い (Rokujū no tenarai) (literally: Taking up calligraphy at sixty)
  • Dutch: Men is nooit te oud om te leren (literally: One is never too old to learn)
  • Russian: Век живи — век учись (Vek zhivi — vek uchis') (literally: Live a lifetime, learn a lifetime)
  • Polish: Człowiek uczy się całe życie (literally: A person learns all their life)

Origin: Auslernen means to finish an apprenticeship; the proverb says no one ever does. Seneca already quoted the idea as a proverb in his letters: one must keep learning as long as one lives, quamdiu vivas.

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