as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A person's development is influenced by their early experiences
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Sự phát triển của một người bị ảnh hưởng bởi trải nghiệm sớm
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: a tree's shape is determined by its early growth
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined” mean?
A person's development is influenced by their early experiences Literally: a tree's shape is determined by its early growth
Is “as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.