The man who is too old to learn was probably always too old to learn.

The aphorism rejects the idea that age is the real barrier to learning. Instead, it reframes “too old to learn” as a lifelong disposition: a person who claims age as an excuse likely lacked curiosity, humility, or openness long before old age. The sting of “probably” keeps it from being an absolute judgment while still implying a moral lesson—learning is less about capacity than about attitude. In a quotations context, it aligns with early 20th‑century self-improvement and character literature that treats education as continuous and self-directed rather than confined to youth or formal schooling.