That's a provocative quotation from the Arabic. I would guess
     that it means two things simaeltaneously:

     1) Old folks don't retain things as deeply and strongly as kids.

     2) and more poignantly, what an old person learns will soon be
     lost through death, while what a young person learns is likely to
     be more durable.

     Eric Siegel
     [log in to unmask]