"Whoever marries the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next"

William Ralph Inge’s insight serves as a caution against becoming too closely aligned with the dominant values, trends, or ideologies of any given era. The spirit of an age—the “zeitgeist”—refers to its prevailing ideas, fashions, and beliefs. History is filled with examples where what was once universally accepted becomes obsolete or even disdained by later generations. By “marrying” the spirit of his time, a person risks binding themselves so tightly to its attitudes and assumptions that when those inevitably change, as all cultural fashions do, he is left isolated and outdated, a “widower” whose partner—the zeitgeist—has vanished.

This observation applies broadly, encompassing matters of politics, religion, art, philosophy, and social norms. Those who seek relevance by wholeheartedly embracing every popular cause or viewpoint might receive approval in the present. Yet, times shift. The devotions and dogmas of today often appear naïve, foolish, or even reprehensible when viewed through the lens of the future. Consider artistic movements, political ideologies, or scientific beliefs that dominated the scene for a time, only to be discarded or reversed later on.

The warning, then, is to avoid investing one’s identity or principles solely in transient fashions. Adaptation and openness are virtues, but so too is discernment—retaining independent judgment, seeking enduring truths, and resisting the pressure to conform uncritically. Lasting wisdom is rarely found by surrendering entirely to current enthusiasms, which are often driven by emotional fervor or group consensus rather than careful thought. Those who attach their sense of self or purpose to such fleeting phenomena may find themselves left behind as the culture moves on, their groundedness lost with the passing of their era’s idiosyncrasies. True longevity of meaning is likely to be found not in marriage to the immediate age, but in fidelity to deeper and more permanent values.