--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He stood at the window of the empty cafe…" description: "\"He stood at the window of the empty cafe and watched the activites in the square and he said that it was good that God kept the truths of life from the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/cormac-mccarthy-181_cafes_he-stood-at-the-window-of-the-empty-cafe_2068492.jpg" --- # He stood at the window of the empty cafe and watched the… ![“He stood at the window of the empty cafe and watched the activites in the square and he said that it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they'd have no heart to start at all.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/cormac-mccarthy-181_cafes_he-stood-at-the-window-of-the-empty-cafe_2068492.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/cormac-mccarthy-181_cafes_he-stood-at-the-window-of-the-empty-cafe_2068492.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/cormac-mccarthy-181_cafes_he-stood-at-the-window-of-the-empty-cafe_2068492.jpg) > “He stood at the window of the empty cafe and watched the activites in the square and he said that it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they'd have no heart to start at all.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that protecting youth from harsh truths preserves their innocence, allowing them to develop compassion before confronting reality. **In simple terms:** Shielding youth keeps them innocent. Key Takeaway Preserve innocence before exposing harsh truths. Themes innocence protection growth Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - education - mentorship - media consumption Key Concepts human nature morality development Questions to Reflect On - How does shielding affect resilience? - When should truth be introduced? A Different Perspective Overprotecting may leave them unprepared for life's difficulties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cafes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafes/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Truth of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [“he said that it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-it-was-good-that-god-kept-the-truths-of-life-from-the/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [In a Cafe" I watched a man in a cafe fold a slice of bread as if he were folding a birth certificate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/in-a-cafe-i-watched-a-man-in-a-cafe-fold-a-slice-of-bread-as-if-he/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [The peace and safety for which you yearn is not a matter of food, clothing, and shelter. 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If we always kept this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-lder-c-mara/any-time-day-or-night-at-home-or-in-the-street-wherever-we-are-we/) [Hélder Câmara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-lder-c-mara/) > [One day you'll wake up and realize why God kept you single for so long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-newland/one-day-you-ll-wake-up-and-realize-why-god-kept-you-single-for-so-long/) [Channing Newland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-newland/) > [Realized Ive Made A Lot Fuck Ups But God Kept Me Here For A Purpose So Now Its Time To Grow Up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gflowers/realized-ive-made-a-lot-fuck-ups-but-god-kept-me-here-for-a-purpose/) GFlowers > [“2 Corinthians, 4:9, it says ‘Persecuted, but not forsaken: cast down, but not destroyed:’ You see God kept me standing for a reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-l-waters/2-corinthians-4-9-it-says-persecuted-but-not-forsaken-cast-down-but/) Michele L. 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They give into and end up living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamarcus-aldridge/i-grew-up-in-low-income-areas-and-i-ve-seen-people-take-negative/) [LaMarcus Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamarcus-aldridge/) > [The three greatest people in my life as a young person were white. I'm not a person that really deals in color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-brown/the-three-greatest-people-in-my-life-as-a-young-person-were-white-i-m/) [Jim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-brown/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. 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Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Cafes quotes > [Cafe society is as old as the hills. Starbucks and its imitators are the coffee face of the new man in a hurry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/cafe-society-is-as-old-as-the-hills-starbucks-and-its-imitators-are/) [Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/) > [I'm never bored, never ever bored. If I've got a day off I'll sit in a cafe and watch and observe. I'm a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/i-m-never-bored-never-ever-bored-if-i-ve-got-a-day-off-i-ll-sit-in-a/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) > [All of the people who are using their BlackBerries or their iPhones, Facebook, all of the people who are sitting in cafes and hotels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/all-of-the-people-who-are-using-their-blackberries-or-their-iphones/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [The majority of people imagine a chess master as being a townsman who passes his life in an atmosphere of smoke and play in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/the-majority-of-people-imagine-a-chess-master-as-being-a-townsman-who/) [Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/) > [A girl came in the cafe and sat by herself at a table near the window. She was very pretty with a face fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/a-girl-came-in-the-cafe-and-sat-by-herself-at-a-table-near-the-window/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I hate solitude, but I'm afraid of intimacy. The substance of my life is a private conversation with myself which to turn into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-hate-solitude-but-i-m-afraid-of-intimacy-the-substance-of-my-life/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [I listen to the things people want out of love these days and they blow my mind. I go to the pub with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-listen-to-the-things-people-want-out-of-love-these-days-and-they/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [Jumping off that cliff in Jamaica.It was years ago. It was at this place called Rick's Cafe. Actually, it was two cliffs. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-latifah/jumping-off-that-cliff-in-jamaica-it-was-years-ago-it-was-at-this/) [Queen Latifah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-latifah/) > [There was something about being in the vicinity of Grahame Coats that always made Fat Charlie (a) speak in cliches and (b) begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-was-something-about-being-in-the-vicinity-of-grahame-coats-that/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I've given up wanting to make a killing or be a bigshot. I just want to find happiness and maybe open up a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-ve-given-up-wanting-to-make-a-killing-or-be-a-bigshot-i-just-want/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [My mum and dad ran a family cafe in Sligo for 35 years and worked long hours. 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