once a man, twice a child

US, UK/ˌwʌn(t)s‿ə ˈmæn ˌtwaɪs‿ə ˈt͡ʃaɪld/

proverb

A man is born as a child, grows to adulthood, and consequently enters old age, when he deteriorates and reverts to a childlike state.

Similar
once a man, twice a boy
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Meanings

proverb
  1. A man is born as a child, grows to adulthood, and consequently enters old age, when he deteriorates and reverts to a childlike state.

    “I am an old man,” he said; “I avail myself of the privilege of an old man,—to be a child. ‘Once a man, twice a child.’[…]”

    1889, Oscar F[itzalan] Safford, “Toward Evening”, in Hosea Ballou: a Marvellous Life-story, 3rd edition, Boston, Mass.: Universalist Publishing House, →OCLC, page 243
    5 more examples

    King David being in his childhood, an old man in his ſecond childhood, for all old men are tvvice children, as the proverb is, An old man tvvice a child‡; it happened vvith him, as it doth oftentimes, vvhen vvicked men of a King's childhood take occaſion of evil. / Footnote ‡: Once a Man, tvvice a Child.

    1549 March 24 (Gregorian calendar), Hugh Latimer, “Sermon VI. Being the Second Sermon Preached before King Edward VI. March the Fifteenth.”, in The Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, Master Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester. […], volume I, London: […] J. Scott, […], published 1758, →OCLC, page 83

    In verification of the old saying, "Once a man, twice a child," Mr. Hood tells of "A School for Adults,"—and gives a picture of aged men, baldheaded and wigged, whose education had been neglected, studying their A, B, C.

    1827, “The Progress of Art”, in William Hone, editor, The Table Book, London: […] [F]or William Hone, by Hunt and Clarke, […], →OCLC, page 745, column 2

    Again, it is a saying, ‘once a man twice a child,’ but, of cases without number, it may justly be said, once a man always a man; tens of thousands there are whom this second childhood toucheth not, whose inward vigour evidently increaseth as their outward strength decays, […]

    1861, “a Wykehamist” [pseudonym; George Jennings Davies], “The Power of Proverbs to Impress”, in Papers on Preaching and Public Speaking. […], London: Bell and Daldy, […], →OCLC, page 104

    The time will come, dear children, when the mother becomes as a little child. Once a man, twice a child. This must happen to us all if we live to a great age. Bear then, dear ones, with a mother's infirmities, weaknesses, aye, even petulances; you may come to this yourselves.

    1888 March, Eliza Allen, “Mother. A Few Words for the Young.”, in Charlotte M[ary] Yonge, editor, The Monthly Packet of Evening Readings for Members of the English Church, volume XV (Third Series), part LXXXVII, London: Walter Smith and Innes (late Mozley), […], →OCLC, page 279

    dora: Look at all these games. Once a man, twice a child, my mother used to say. / ansell: What did she mean by that? / dora: She meant that a man grows from a boy, to a man, to a boy again.

    1971, Plays and Players, volume 19, London: Hansom Books, →ISSN, →OCLC, scene iii, page 64, column 1

    Synonyms: once a man, twice a boy

Synonyms & antonyms

proverbA man is born as a child, grows to adulthood, and consequently enters old age, when he deteriorates and reverts to a childlike state.

Similar
once a man, twice a boy

Translations

Finnish höperö vanhus on kuin lapsi
  • höperö vanhus on kuin lapsia man is born as a child, grows to adulthood, and consequently enters old age, when he deteriorates and reverts to a childlike state
Icelandic tvisvar verður gamall maður barn
  • tvisvar verður gamall maður barna man is born as a child, grows to adulthood, and consequently enters old age, when he deteriorates and reverts to a childlike state
Swedish gå i barndom
  • gå i barndoma man is born as a child, grows to adulthood, and consequently enters old age, when he deteriorates and reverts to a childlike state

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with once a man, twice a child

childwildmildwildestyledpiledchildeguiledonce a woman, twice a childvild
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

once a man, twice a child. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/once%20a%20man%2C%20twice%20a%20child

MLA

“once a man, twice a child.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/once%20a%20man%2C%20twice%20a%20child. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “once a man, twice a child,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/once%20a%20man%2C%20twice%20a%20child.

Source: once a man, twice a child on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.