Quote by Soren Kierkegaard
Old age realizes the dreams of youth: look at Dean Swift in his youth he built an asylum for the insane, in his old age he was himself an inmate.
Summary
This quote highlights the irony of life as one grows older. It refers to the famous Irish writer and satirist, Dean Swift, who, in his youth, built an institution for the mentally ill (an asylum). However, in his later years, Swift suffered from a decline in mental health and became a patient in another mental institution. The quote illuminates the cyclical nature of life, where the dreams and ambitions of our youth can eventually manifest in unexpected ways later in life. It serves as a reminder that one's own experiences can mirror or even contradict the very ideals they once held.