---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are voices crying what must be…"
description: "\"There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices. But what do they help if one seeks for counsel, for one cries this, and one cr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/alan-paton-6865_cry_there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-don_2358630.jpg"
---

#  There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a…

![“There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices. But what do they help if one seeks for counsel, for one cries this, and one cries that, and another cries something that is neither this nor that.” quote by Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/alan-paton-6865_cry_there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-don_2358630.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/alan-paton-6865_cry_there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-don_2358630.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/alan-paton-6865_cry_there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-don_2358630.jpg)

> “There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices. But what do they help if one seeks for counsel, for one cries this, and one cries that, and another cries something that is neither this nor that.”

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Many voices argue, but without unified counsel, their cries become noise.

**In simple terms:** Many voices, little guidance.

Key Takeaway

Seek clear, unified guidance.

Themes

communication leadership confusion

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- community councils
- crisis response

Key Concepts

collective decision-making direction clarity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you filter useful advice?
- What processes ensure coherent decision making?

A Different Perspective

Too many opinions can paralyze action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Counsel Cries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counsel-cries-5767191/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Crying Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying-thousand-3972126/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Seeks Counsel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeks-counsel-2839605/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Thousand Voices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-voices-2824219/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Voices Crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voices-crying-1275135/)

## Related quotes

> [“It was the sound of a thousand hungry children crying, ten thousand widows tearing their hair over their husband's graves, a chorus of angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/it-was-the-sound-of-a-thousand-hungry-children-crying-ten-thousand/)

[Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/)

> [“Perhaps most tellingly, our wired age is one in which the voices crying foul at these injustices join in a chorus that, more often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-lim/perhaps-most-tellingly-our-wired-age-is-one-in-which-the-voices/)

[Arianna Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-lim/)

> [A wise man seeks much counsel...a fool listens to all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-burkett/a-wise-man-seeks-much-counsel-a-fool-listens-to-all-of-it/)

[Larry Burkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-burkett/)

> [The past speaks to us in a thousand voices, warning and comforting, animating and stirring to action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/the-past-speaks-to-us-in-a-thousand-voices-warning-and-comforting/)

[Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/)

> [“It takes a thousand voices to tell a story”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-victor-hansen-jack-canfield-kimberly-kimberger/it-takes-a-thousand-voices-to-tell-a-story/)

[Mark Victor Hansen Jack Canfield Kimberly Kimberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-victor-hansen-jack-canfield-kimberly-kimberger/)

> [The Man of a Thousand Voices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-blanc/the-man-of-a-thousand-voices/)

[Mel Blanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-blanc/)

> [“The God who seeks counsel from no one nor gets counsel from nowhere, but takes the right decisions always. He is my God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faithful-akpaloo/the-god-who-seeks-counsel-from-no-one-nor-gets-counsel-from-nowhere/)

[Faithful Akpaloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faithful-akpaloo/)

> [“Mother is the master of a thousand voices, and she uses each one with the skill of a butcher wielding a knife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-brown/mother-is-the-master-of-a-thousand-voices-and-she-uses-each-one-with/)

[Teri Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-brown/)

> [Someone has to make the final decision, but the wise leader gathers information and seeks counsel - after deciding who among those surrounding him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-ferling/someone-has-to-make-the-final-decision-but-the-wise-leader-gathers/)

[John E Ferling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-ferling/)

> [The disciplined Christian will be very careful what sort of counsel he seeks from others. Counsel that contradicts the written Word is ungodly counsel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/the-disciplined-christian-will-be-very-careful-what-sort-of-counsel/)

[Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/)

> [Even a liar tells a hundred truths to one lie; he has to, to make the lie good for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/even-a-liar-tells-a-hundred-truths-to-one-lie-he-has-to-to-make-the/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [“Most of the time they buy what other people buy. They move in great schools, like bluefish, all identical. There is safety in numbers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/most-of-the-time-they-buy-what-other-people-buy-they-move-in-great/)

[Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/)

> [When you have counted eighty years and more, Time and Fate will batter at your door; But if you should survive to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khushwant-singh/when-you-have-counted-eighty-years-and-more-time-and-fate-will-batter/)

[Khushwant Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khushwant-singh/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

## More by Alan Paton

> [“He is a missionary and believes in God, intensely I mean, but it takes all kinds to make a world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/he-is-a-missionary-and-believes-in-god-intensely-i-mean-but-it-takes/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [“All roads lead to Johannesburg. If you are white or if you are black they lead to Johannesburg. If the crops fail, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/all-roads-lead-to-johannesburg-if-you-are-white-or-if-you-are-black/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [“There's a hard law, mejuffrou, that when a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/there-s-a-hard-law-mejuffrou-that-when-a-deep-injury-is-done-to-us-we/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [The Afrikaner has nowhere to go, and that's why he would rather destroy himself than capitulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/the-afrikaner-has-nowhere-to-go-and-that-s-why-he-would-rather/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [But perhaps when you were too obedient, and did not do openly what others did, and were quiet in church and hard-working at school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/but-perhaps-when-you-were-too-obedient-and-did-not-do-openly-what/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/for-it-is-the-dawn-that-has-come-as-it-has-come-for-a-thousand/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [“Indeed, there is something in this valley, some spirit and some life, and much to talk about in the huts. Although nothing has come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/indeed-there-is-something-in-this-valley-some-spirit-and-some-life/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [“In a land of fear... incorruptibility is like a lamp set upon a stand, giving light to all in the house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/in-a-land-of-fear-incorruptibility-is-like-a-lamp-set-upon-a-stand/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [“Something within me is waking from long sleep, and I want to live and move again. Some zest is returning to me, some immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/something-within-me-is-waking-from-long-sleep-and-i-want-to-live-and/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [And money is not something to go mad about ... Money is for food and clothes and comfort, and a visit to the pictures.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/and-money-is-not-something-to-go-mad-about-money-is-for-food-and/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [“Would age now swiftly overtake him? Would this terrible nodding last now for all his days, so that men said aloud in his presence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/would-age-now-swiftly-overtake-him-would-this-terrible-nodding-last/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [Sorrow is better than fear. Fear is a journey,a terrible journey, but sorrow is at least an arrival. When the storm threatens, a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/sorrow-is-better-than-fear-fear-is-a-journey-a-terrible-journey-but/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [Nosecond Johannesburg isneededuponthe earth.One is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/nosecond-johannesburg-isneededuponthe-earth-one-is-enough/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/when-a-deep-injury-is-done-us-we-never-recover-until-we-forgive/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

> [“I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/i-see-only-one-hope-for-our-country-and-that-is-when-white-men-and/)

[Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

[Explore all 97 Alan Paton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/)

## More Cry quotes

> [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/)

[Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/)

> [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/)

[Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/)

> [And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/and-then-theres-always-the-crying-and-the-weeping-that-we-hear/)

[Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/)

> [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [My idea for 'BoneMan's Daughters' came from the loss of my own daughter when she left home to live with a monster at age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-idea-for-boneman-s-daughters-came-from-the-loss-of-my-own-daughter/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [I knew Jimmy Dean. He tested for 'Battle Cry'. Paul Newman tested for 'Battle Cry'. I did nine tests to finally get that role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/i-knew-jimmy-dean-he-tested-for-battle-cry-paul-newman-tested-for/)

[Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/)

> [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/)

[Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/)

> [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [I cry at the end of every book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/i-cry-at-the-end-of-every-book/)

[Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/)

> [ The most important thing I learned \[...\] was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was-that-when-a-person-dies-he/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [It is easy to speak words of love, or to meditate lovingly upon those people with whom you are in harmony. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ponder/it-is-easy-to-speak-words-of-love-or-to-meditate-lovingly-upon-those/)

[Catherine Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ponder/)

> [I had rather be a Kitten, and cry mew, Than one of these same Meeter Ballad-mongers: I had rather heare a Brazen Candlestick turn'd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-had-rather-be-a-kitten-and-cry-mew-than-one-of-these-same-meeter/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

[Browse all 4,998 Cry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices. But what do they help if one seeks for counsel, for one cries this, and one cries that, and another cries something that is neither this nor that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Paton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-done-a-hundred-a-thousand-voices/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cry"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-done-a-hundred-a-thousand-voices/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/alan-paton-6865_cry_there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-don_2358630.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/alan-paton-6865_cry_there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-don_2358630.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/alan-paton-6865_cry_there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-don_2358630.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices. But what do they help if one seeks…” — Alan Paton",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alan Paton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are voices crying what must...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-done-a-hundred-a-thousand-voices/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/there-are-voices-crying-what-must-be-done-a-hundred-a-thousand-voices/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
