as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

English

Etymology

From the Epistles to Several Persons (1732): "'Tis education forms the common mind, Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined."

Proverb

as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

1. A person's formative experiences in youth influence their character during adulthood.

Translations

a person's formative experiences influence their adult character

Arabic: please add this translation if you can Chinese: Mandarin: please add this translation if you can Portuguese: é de menino que se torce o pepino (pt) Finnish: nuorena vitsa väännettävä (chiefly when talking about teaching someone good manners when they are young) Polish: czym skorupka za młodu nasiąknie, tym na starość trąci (pl) Russian: please add this translation if you can Spanish: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• Oxford Reference