Did you find an idea, style, or way of thinking and believed yourself to be the first to think that way? Well, it is not so hard an assumption to make, since everything looks fresh and revolutionary through our very own eyes. However, what can be considered absolutely novel for one generation can often seem old and familiar for another.
Japanese writer Yukio Mishima managed to express this idea in his brilliant saying.
Quote of the Day by Yukio Mishima: “Young people get the foolish idea that what is new for them must be new for everybody else too. No matter how unconventional they get, they're just repeating what others before them have done.”
Meaning of Yukio Mishima's quote about youth and originality
According to Mishima, difference does not equate to originality per se. People who come across a certain attitude, fashion, philosophy or lifestyle for the first time tend to regard the latter as something unique and novel.
However, uniqueness and novelty are not always one and the same. The latter part of the statement explains how even those who consciously resist tradition might end up doing what previous generations did. What feels unconventional in one period may have appeared unconventional before.
This is more an issue of perspective rather than an outright dismissal of youthful notions. A person might discover something entirely new, but that does not mean that nobody discovered it before him.
Why the idea of repeating the past matters in everyday life
Mishima's pattern may extend beyond just literature or politics to areas far removed from those domains. There will often be times when individuals feel that certain notions are specific to their generation only to learn that there were similar notions in earlier generations.
This usually occurs when individuals go against the established norm, explore their identity, or reject the norms. Even the notion of being unconventional becomes conventional.
It does not mean that the choices that individuals make lose their meaning. Rather, the quotation raises a subtler question: How much of what feels new is actually new, and how much is an old human impulse appearing in a different generation?
Yukio Mishima's privileged early life in Japan
Yukio Mishima was born Kimitake Hiraoka in 1925 and grew up in a privileged environment. His early education took place at the prestigious Gakushuin school, an experience that formed part of his development before he moved into higher education.
His background eventually led him toward both literature and the study of law, giving him a path that was not limited to writing alone.
From law student to prominent Japanese author
Mishima later studied law at the University of Tokyo, while his literary career began early. He gained recognition with his autobiographical novel “Confessions of a Mask,” a work that explored themes of identity and sexuality.
His writing career expanded into novels, plays and other forms of literature. He became known for works including “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” and “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea.” He also wrote modernized Nō plays, bringing traditional Japanese theatrical forms into his body of work.
Mishima's fascination with traditional Japanese culture
Traditional Japanese culture had a major influence on Mishima's thinking and writing. In particular, the samurai ethos became central to his philosophy.
That interest also shaped his political views in his later years. Mishima opposed the Westernization of Japan and founded a private militia called the Tate no Kai, advocating a return to traditional values.
How Mishima's life adds another layer to the quote
With Mishima’s preoccupation with tradition, his comment about generations and repetition becomes particularly interesting. Mishima was known to be very much concerned with cultural changes and with the influence of tradition and modernity.
The author’s later stance against the westernization of Japan and his preference for traditional values can be seen as an example of how he was more concerned with loss and changes occurring in modern Japan.
Therefore, the emphasis placed by Mishima on people thinking that their ideas are new is quite understandable against the background of his life.
Why Yukio Mishima's quote still matters today
Generations change, but the feeling of discovering something for the first time does not. New technology, changing social attitudes and new cultural trends can make each generation feel distinct from the one before it. Yet the basic human desire to challenge convention, define oneself and stand apart from others is hardly a new phenomenon.
That is what gives Mishima's observation its lasting relevance. Something can be new to us without being new to humanity. And sometimes, recognizing that does not make an idea less meaningful, it simply gives us a better sense of where it came from.
