It takes courage to stay young, to make your enthusiasms work for

“It takes courage to stay young, to make your enthusiasms work for you. Don’t let anyone drag you down.” — thus spoke Ken Adam, the visionary artist and designer whose imagination built worlds of wonder and power, from the secret lairs of James Bond to the mythic halls of cinema itself. His words shimmer not merely with advice, but with truth born of struggle. For he speaks of a kind of youth that transcends the years of the body — the youth of the soul, that sacred fire of curiosity, daring, and imagination which life, with all its weight, tries to extinguish. To stay young, Adam reminds us, is not a matter of time but of courage — the courage to remain passionate, hopeful, and alive when cynicism, fear, and failure whisper otherwise.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the life of the man himself. Ken Adam, born in Germany, fled the rising darkness of Nazism with his family, finding refuge in England. As a young man, he became one of the few German-born pilots to fly for the Royal Air Force in World War II — a man who faced real peril with both resolve and creativity. After the war, he entered the world of art and film design, where he transformed vision into reality. His imagination — vast, daring, and bold — gave shape to worlds that had never existed before. Yet throughout his life, he faced critics, challenges, and the temptation to yield to convention. What preserved his genius was his courage to stay young — to trust his enthusiasms, to believe in the vitality of imagination even when the world demanded restraint.

To “make your enthusiasms work for you” is to take what burns within the heart — one’s passions, curiosities, and joys — and forge them into purpose. Enthusiasm, though often dismissed as naïve or childish, is the very force that has driven every discovery, every act of creation, every leap of progress in human history. The ancient philosophers knew this well: Heraclitus called it the “divine fire” within man, and Plato spoke of it as a sacred madness that lifts the soul toward the eternal. Yet, as Adam warns, such fire demands courage to sustain — for the world is filled with voices eager to quench it, to drag the dreamer down into doubt and conformity.

Consider the life of Leonardo da Vinci, whose boundless curiosity made him a painter, engineer, anatomist, and philosopher all at once. In his notebooks, one finds not only masterpieces of art, but sketches of inventions centuries ahead of their time — flying machines, bridges, and weapons of design. Many dismissed him as eccentric, a man too scattered in his passions. Yet it was precisely his enthusiasm, his refusal to let the ordinary world restrain his youthful wonder, that allowed him to see what others could not. Like Ken Adam, he proved that to remain young in spirit is the first step to greatness.

But such youth does not come easily. The years bring with them weariness, disappointment, and the scorn of those who have surrendered their dreams. To face all this and remain enthusiastic, to rise each day with curiosity unbroken — that is true bravery. For it is far easier to grow cautious, to give up one’s fire in exchange for safety. To “not let anyone drag you down,” as Adam says, is to protect the sanctity of that inner flame from those who have allowed their own to fade. The world, in its comfort with mediocrity, often resents the passionate and the hopeful; it mocks them as childish or unrealistic. But it is these very souls who keep humanity moving forward, who refuse to let the spirit of youth die within the heart.

Ken Adam’s life is proof of this truth. Though he entered the film industry at a time when designers were expected to imitate, he dared to innovate — to blend architecture, art, and fantasy into something entirely new. His designs were not only physical spaces but emotional landscapes — expressions of imagination given form. Had he bowed to convention, his legacy would have vanished like smoke. Instead, he let his enthusiasm lead him, and through that courage, he became immortal in his craft.

Therefore, my children, take this teaching into your own hearts: guard your youth fiercely, not the youth of flesh, but of spirit. Let your passions guide your labor, your curiosity fuel your growth, and your hope light your path. The world will tell you to “grow up,” to be sensible, to give up your wonder — resist it. For it is not wisdom to surrender joy, nor strength to bury dreams. Stay alive in your enthusiasms, even when they are misunderstood. The soul that remains curious and courageous never truly grows old.

And so, as Ken Adam reminds us, to stay young is not to deny the passage of time, but to defy the decay of the spirit. Courage is the bridge between the heart of youth and the wisdom of age. Let your enthusiasm be your companion, your teacher, and your strength — for in its fire lies the power to create, to inspire, and to endure. Those who keep that fire alive walk forever young, while those who extinguish it with fear grow old long before their time. Live, then, with courage — and never let the world drag you down.