德裔美籍人塞缪尔.厄尔曼70多年前写的一篇只有四百多字的短文。首次在美国发表的时候，引起全美国轰动效应，成千上万的读者把它抄下来当作座右铭收藏，许多中老年人把它作为安排后半生的精神支柱。
美国的麦克阿瑟将军在指挥整个太平洋战争期间，办公桌上始终摆着装有短文《年轻》复印件的镜框，文中的许多的词句常被他在谈话或开会作报告时引用。后来此文传到日本，文章的观点成为许多日本人生活哲学的基础。
松下公司的创始人松下幸之助说：“多年来，《年轻》始终是我的座右铭。”
Youth
Samuel Ullman
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosycheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of theimagination,and a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deepsprings of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage overtimidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This oftenexists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by anumber of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear,self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.Whether 60 or16, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailingchild-like appetite of what's next and the joy of the game of living. In thecenter of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station: so long as itreceives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and fromthe Infinite, so long as you are young.When the aerials are down, and yourspirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you'vegrown old, even at 20, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves ofoptimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.
中文译文:
第一版本:
人生匆匆，青春不是易逝的一段。青春应是一种永恒的心态。满脸红光，嘴唇红润，腿脚灵活，这些都不是青春的全部。真正的青春啊，它是一种坚强的意志，是一种想象力的高品位，是感情充沛饱满，是生命之泉的清澈常新。青春意味着勇敢战胜怯懦，青春意味着进取战胜安逸，年月的轮回就一定导致衰老吗？要知道呵，老态龙钟是因为放弃了对真理的追求。
无情岁月的流逝，留下了深深的皱纹，而热忱的丧失，会在深处打下烙印。焦虑、恐惧、自卑，终会使心情沮丧，意志消亡。60岁也罢，16岁也罢，每个人的心田都应保持着不泯的意志，去探索新鲜的事物，去追求人生乐趣。我们的心中都应有座无线电台，只要不断地接受来自人类和上帝的美感、希望、勇气和力量，我们就会永葆青春。倘若你收起天线，使自己的心灵蒙上玩世不恭的霜雪和悲观厌世的冰凌，即使你年方20，你已垂垂老矣；倘若你已经80高龄，临于辞世，若竖起天线去收听乐观进取的电波，你仍会青春焕发。
第二版本:
青春，并非年轻岁月，而是一种心态；青春的特征，并非粉颊、朱唇、柔肢，而是毅力、激情、创意；青春是生命涌泉的清澈、激扬。青春，是指超越怯懦、勇气如虹，不图安逸、敢闯敢试。毅力若此，花甲多胜弱冠。年岁递增，非必老化；背弃理想，方陷残年。
岁月留痕，只及肌肤；激情不再，皱起心灵。忧惧自卑，终致身心佝偻、精神萎靡。无论年少或年长，当怀好奇的诱导，像孩子般总渴求着：接下来的进展及驰骋人生的欢乐。人人皆有心灵的感官，只要感受源源来自人间与穹苍的启发，感应有关美好、希望、激情、勇毅和能力的信息，你就会朝气勃勃、青春无限。