--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A certain man placed a fountain by the…" description: "\"“A certain man placed a fountain by the wayside, and he hung up a cup near to it by a little chain. He was told some time after that a great art-critic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_thirsty_a-certain-man-placed-a-fountain-by-the-w_28034.jpg" --- # A certain man placed a fountain by the wayside, and he… ![“A certain man placed a fountain by the wayside, and he hung up a cup near to it by a little chain. He was told some time after that a great art-critic had found much fault with its design. ‘But,’ said he, ‘do many thirsty persons drink at it?” quote by Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_thirsty_a-certain-man-placed-a-fountain-by-the-w_28034.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_thirsty_a-certain-man-placed-a-fountain-by-the-w_28034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_thirsty_a-certain-man-placed-a-fountain-by-the-w_28034.jpg) > ““A certain man placed a fountain by the wayside, and he hung up a cup near to it by a little chain. He was told some time after that a great art-critic had found much fault with its design. ‘But,’ said he, ‘do many thirsty persons drink at it?”” [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The story illustrates that practical usefulness outweighs aesthetic criticism; a creation’s value lies in serving real needs, not just pleasing critics. **In simple terms:** Utility trumps aesthetic judgment. Key Takeaway Function matters more than form. Themes practicality criticism service humility effectiveness Mood thoughtful inspirational Type aphorism parable When to use this quote - designing public amenities - evaluating art projects - responding to feedback - building community resources Key Concepts value of utility human need critic vs creator Practical Applications - prioritizing user needs in product design - defending functional work against aesthetic critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance form and function? - When should you heed criticism? 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We meet them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/young-gentlemen-whose-whiskers-have-not-yet-developed-are/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [“Now, the more holy a man gets the more he cries in this fashion. While he is low down in the scale, he puts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/now-the-more-holy-a-man-gets-the-more-he-cries-in-this-fashion-while/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [“Arise, believer, and behold the Lord Jesus yoking the whole of his divine Godhead to the chariot of salvation! How vast his grace, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/arise-believer-and-behold-the-lord-jesus-yoking-the-whole-of-his/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [“As a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match which would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/as-a-general-principle-if-we-would-exercise-our-memories-more-wisely/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) [Explore all 241 Charles H. Spurgeon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) ## More Thirsty quotes > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. 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"Champagne's a lovely drink, but it makes you thirsty, doesn't it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-dexter/morse-poured-himself-a-can-of-beer-champagne-s-a-lovely-drink-but-it/) [Colin Dexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-dexter/) > [“People always ask me "Son what does it take To reach out and touch your dreams?" To them I always say Are you hungry?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/people-always-ask-me-son-what-does-it-take-to-reach-out-and-touch/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [“You keep thinking you’re too much for me that I will say I’ve had enough. But I drank all you poured for me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/you-keep-thinking-you-re-too-much-for-me-that-i-will-say-i-ve-had/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [ The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah (repentance) and protection \[from transgression\]. It becomes rusty as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/the-heart-becomes-sick-as-the-body-becomes-sick-and-its-remedy-is-al/) [Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/) > [“We made love like water makes life, and thinking about it makes me so horny I’m thirsty. My cup runneth over, but if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/we-made-love-like-water-makes-life-and-thinking-about-it-makes-me-so/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [It's a great responsibility before God, the judge who guides us, who draws us to truth and good, and in this sense the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/it-s-a-great-responsibility-before-god-the-judge-who-guides-us-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Girls now a days be almost as THIRSTY as some of the guys..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/girls-now-a-days-be-almost-as-thirsty-as-some-of-the-guys/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want relations, I just want one night. Cause a thirsty bitch, that's the shit that I don't like. I got tats up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-keef/i-don-t-want-relations-i-just-want-one-night-cause-a-thirsty-bitch/) [Chief Keef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-keef/) > [Water…I'm thirsty not dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/water-i-m-thirsty-not-dirty/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Our starting point is not the individual: We do not subscribe to the view that one should feed the hungry, give drink to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/our-starting-point-is-not-the-individual-we-do-not-subscribe-to-the/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) Browse all 418 Thirsty quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A certain man placed a fountain by the wayside, and he hung up a cup near to it by a little chain. 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