Q0415
“If the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth…” — Liang Qichao (On the Young China)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: On the Young China. Theme: philosophy.
English
If the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth are prosperous, the nation is prosperous; if the youth are strong, the nation is strong.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to On the Young China and files it under Modern Chinese Thought. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Liang Qichao
Liang Qichao (1873–1929) was a leading late-Qing and early-Republican intellectual who introduced Western political ideas and reshaped Chinese historiography and public opinion.
Interpretation
Liang Qichao wrote this in 1900 as an argument about national renewal after China's defeats. The claim is not that young people are superior, but that the condition of a state is determined by the formation of its citizens, so reform must be directed at that formation. The parallel clauses make the dependence explicit: each quality of the nation is traced back to a quality of its youth. It is a claim about where to invest, addressed to a readership deciding what to do.
Why it matters
It remains a useful question for any institution: what you become depends on what you form, so the effort aimed at outcomes is often spent in the wrong place.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Liang Qichao. (n.d.). If the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth are prosperous, the nation is prosperous; if the youth are strong, the nation is strong. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0415
MLA: Liang Qichao. “If the youth are wise, the nation is….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0415.
Chicago: Liang Qichao. “If the youth are wise, the nation is….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0415.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “If the youth are wise, the nation is…”?
The passage is attributed to Liang Qichao, On the Young China. The archive attributes this English wording to On the Young China and files it under Modern Chinese Thought. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Liang Qichao mean by philosophy?
This passage is indexed under . Those labels identify the concepts it can illuminate; they do not replace the argument surrounding it in On the Young China.