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as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined proverb: a person's formative experiences in youth influence their character during adulthood.

Proverb

as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

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

Origin of as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

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

Questions about as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

What does as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined mean?
As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined means a person's formative experiences in youth influence their character during adulthood.
What part of speech is as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined?
As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined is a proverb.

Words near as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined in the dictionary

  1. as the next guy
  2. as the next man
  3. as the next person
  4. as the raven flies
  5. as the saying goes
  6. as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined
  7. as the wind blows
  8. as they come
  9. as they say
  10. as though
  11. as time goes by

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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