At your age one is joyous; one hopes for many things which never come to pass.
 Guy de Maupassant, Bel-Ami (1885). copy citation

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Author Guy de Maupassant
Source Bel-Ami
Topic age hope
Date 1885
Language English
Reference
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Weblink https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bel_Ami

Context

“While one is climbing the ladder, one sees the top and feels hopeful; but when one has reached that summit, one sees the descent and the end which is death. It is slow work ascending, but one descends rapidly. At your age one is joyous; one hopes for many things which never come to pass. At mine, one expects nothing but death." Duroy laughed: "Egad, you make me shudder." Norbert de Varenne continued: "You do not understand me now, but later on you will remember what I have told you.” source