proverb · Legacy record
Learn till old, live till old and there is still one third not learnt.
Learn till old, live till old and there is still one third not learnt.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying keeps learning necessary into old age. Its remaining one third makes incomplete knowledge part of a long life.
What the words are saying
The fraction gives the remaining work a memorable shape, not a measured proportion. A useful application can encourage curiosity at any age while recognising how much someone already knows. The phrase does not rank people’s worth by how much they study.
Everyday example
An experienced worker learns a new method without treating their earlier knowledge as complete or useless.
When to use it
Use it to encourage continuing curiosity and learning.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
One third is not a measured knowledge deficit or a judgment of older people.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 102; PDF page 19
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.