Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a

“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.” Thus wrote Samuel Ullman, the quiet prophet of renewal, whose words have echoed across generations like the sound of a clear mountain stream. In this passage, he does not speak of youth as the fleeting season of one’s early years, but as a sacred flame — a spiritual condition, a fountain within the soul that never runs dry unless one allows it to. For Ullman, youth is not measured by the body’s strength, but by the heart’s vitality — by imagination, will, and the vigor of emotion that keeps life alive long after the flesh has begun to fade.

Ullman wrote these words in the late 19th century, not as a philosopher of fame, but as a man of wisdom born of experience. Having lived through the American Civil War and seen the rise and fall of countless dreams, he came to understand that the true secret of enduring youth lies not in the years we live but in the spirit with which we live them. This passage formed part of his poem Youth, which gained immortality decades later when it was discovered and cherished by General Douglas MacArthur, who carried it with him through war and peace. MacArthur would read it often, and he placed it on the walls of his headquarters as a reminder that the power to remain unbroken in spirit — even amidst destruction — comes from within.

In Ullman’s vision, youth is a triumph of the inner life over the outer. The body may bend and falter, but the soul that still believes, dreams, and strives — that soul is forever young. The will, he says, is the heart of youth: it is the resolve to keep moving forward, to seek meaning, to believe that tomorrow can still be greater than today. And then comes the imagination, that divine faculty by which we re-enchant the world, seeing beauty and possibility even in times of decay. Lastly, there is the vigor of emotion — the capacity to feel deeply, to rejoice, to weep, to care — for when the heart grows numb, no matter one’s age, youth is lost.

Consider the example of Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven years imprisoned, yet emerged not bitter, but radiant with purpose. His body aged behind bars, but his mind remained young, fed by vision, hope, and forgiveness. He refused to surrender to despair because he kept alive the freshness of the deep springs of life — those inner waters of imagination and will that no prison walls could contain. When he walked free, he did so not as an old man broken by time, but as one renewed by the youth of spirit. In him, Ullman’s words found living form.

And so it is that youth, in its truest sense, is not about the number of our years but the condition of our hearts. The aged person who still marvels at the dawn, who still learns, who still gives, who still dreams — such a person is young. But the young one who has grown cynical, weary, and unmoved by beauty — that one has already grown old. The secret of youth lies not in resisting age, but in embracing life anew each day. The freshness of the deep springs within us is renewed whenever we love without fear, create without apology, and hope without measure.

Ullman’s words remind us that the deep springs of life are found within, not without. The fountain of youth is not a myth of the body, but a truth of the soul. It flows through gratitude, curiosity, and courage. When we lose these, we dry up; when we nourish them, we remain ever alive. Every act of kindness, every dream pursued, every wonder still beheld keeps the heart supple and the spirit radiant. For youth, as Ullman teaches, is not an age, but a rhythm — a song the soul must choose to keep singing.

Therefore, dear listener, let these words be your compass. Do not count your years; count your passions. Do not fear the passing of time; fear only the hardening of your heart. Keep alive your imagination, your will, your vigor. Drink daily from the deep springs of life — through learning, through loving, through daring to begin again. For those who live thus shall never grow old, no matter how many winters pass. As Ullman wrote, youth is a state of mind — and those who preserve that sacred state become, in spirit, eternal.