---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You've got to preach short sermons to…"
description: "\"You've got to preach short sermons to catch sinners.\" — George Horace Lorimer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/george-horace-lorimer-10398_sermons_you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-ca_566137.png"
---

#  You've got to preach short sermons to catch sinners.

![“You've got to preach short sermons to catch sinners.” quote by George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/george-horace-lorimer-10398_sermons_you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-ca_566137.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/george-horace-lorimer-10398_sermons_you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-ca_566137.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/george-horace-lorimer-10398_sermons_you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-ca_566137.png)

> “You've got to preach short sermons to catch sinners.”

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

## About This Quote

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

He advocates delivering brief, impactful messages to reach those who have strayed.

**In simple terms:** Short messages can reach sinners.

Key Takeaway

Use concise communication for moral guidance.

Themes

morality communication conversion

Mood

direct pragmatic

Type

inspirational didactic

When to use this quote

- religious preaching
- public speaking
- media messaging

Key Concepts

rhetoric persuasion

Questions to Reflect On

- How can brevity be effective?
- What risks come with overly brief teachings?

A Different Perspective

Shortness may oversimplify complex issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Sermons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sermons/) [Sinners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinners/)

## Related quotes

> [Surely if men's hearts were right, short sermons would be enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/surely-if-men-s-hearts-were-right-short-sermons-would-be-enough/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [Jesus was short on sermons, long on conversations; short on answers, long on questions; short on abstraction and propositions, long on stories and parables;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/jesus-was-short-on-sermons-long-on-conversations-short-on-answers/)

[Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/)

> [I always preach you have to have a short memory, whether it is good or bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-edelman/i-always-preach-you-have-to-have-a-short-memory-whether-it-is-good-or/)

[Julian Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-edelman/)

> [“Never stand in the way of letting God use people’s actions, in order to solve a greater issue in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/never-stand-in-the-way-of-letting-god-use-people-s-actions-in-order/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/jesus-forgives-sinners-not-criminals/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [“Hate not the most abject sinner, look not to his exterior. Turn thy gaze inward, where resides the Paramatman. Proclaim to the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/hate-not-the-most-abject-sinner-look-not-to-his-exterior-turn-thy/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“Socrates taught that No evil could come To a good man. How does that help me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-rhys/socrates-taught-that-no-evil-could-come-to-a-good-man-how-does-that/)

Evan Rhys

> [Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/having-spent-time-around-sinners-and-also-around-purported-saints-i/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“Returns righteous people what's theirs and deprives sinners what isn't theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/returns-righteous-people-what-s-theirs-and-deprives-sinners-what-isn/)

[Miguel Ángel Sáez Gutiérrez «Marino»](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/)

> [In all my writings my aim has been to spare sinners and assail sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/in-all-my-writings-my-aim-has-been-to-spare-sinners-and-assail-sin/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [The saints are sinners still. Our best tears need to be wept over, the strongest faith is mixed with unbelief, our most flaming love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-saints-are-sinners-still-our-best-tears-need-to-be-wept-over-the/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Sinners often speak the truth. And saints have led people astray. Examine what is said, not the one who says it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/sinners-often-speak-the-truth-and-saints-have-led-people-astray/)

[Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/)

> [Saints are sinners who kept on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/saints-are-sinners-who-kept-on-going/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [“I think you want very much to make this black and white--to make us all out to be sinners or saints. But it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/i-think-you-want-very-much-to-make-this-black-and-white-to-make-us/)

[Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/)

## More by George Horace Lorimer

> [It isn't what a man's got in the bank, but what he's got in his head, that makes him a great merchant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/it-isn-t-what-a-man-s-got-in-the-bank-but-what-he-s-got-in-his-head/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [Never threaten, because a threat is a promise to pay that it isn't always convenient to meet, but if you don't make it good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/never-threaten-because-a-threat-is-a-promise-to-pay-that-it-isn-t/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [There is one excuse for every mistake a man can make, but only one. When a fellow makes the same mistake twice he's got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/there-is-one-excuse-for-every-mistake-a-man-can-make-but-only-one/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [Clothes don't make the man, but they make all of him except his hands and face during business hours, and that's a pretty considerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/clothes-don-t-make-the-man-but-they-make-all-of-him-except-his-hands/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [When a fellow's got what he set out for in this world, he should go off into the woods for a few weeks now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/when-a-fellow-s-got-what-he-set-out-for-in-this-world-he-should-go/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [The easiest way in the world to make enemies is to hire friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/the-easiest-way-in-the-world-to-make-enemies-is-to-hire-friends/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [Doing the same thing in the same way year after year is like eating a quail a day for thirty days. Along toward the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/doing-the-same-thing-in-the-same-way-year-after-year-is-like-eating-a/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [The great secret of good management is to be more alert to prevent a man's going wrong than eager to punish him for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/the-great-secret-of-good-management-is-to-be-more-alert-to-prevent-a/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [The more I deal in it, the surer I am that human nature is all of the same critter, but that there's a heap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/the-more-i-deal-in-it-the-surer-i-am-that-human-nature-is-all-of-the/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [When the tongue lies, the eyes tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/when-the-tongue-lies-the-eyes-tell-the-truth/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [Books are all right, but dead men's brains are no good unless you mix a live one's with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/books-are-all-right-but-dead-men-s-brains-are-no-good-unless-you-mix/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [I ain't one of those who believe that a half knowledge of a subject is useless, but it has been my experience that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/i-ain-t-one-of-those-who-believe-that-a-half-knowledge-of-a-subject/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [If God allows us to remain Methodist, Baptist, or Episcopalian, it may be on account of the unconverted, that they may be without excuse;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/if-god-allows-us-to-remain-methodist-baptist-or-episcopalian-it-may/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [There's a vast difference between having a carload of miscellaneous facts sloshing around loose in your head and getting all mixed up in transit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/there-s-a-vast-difference-between-having-a-carload-of-miscellaneous/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [“Of course, clothes don't make the man, but they make all of him except his hands and face during business hours, and that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/of-course-clothes-don-t-make-the-man-but-they-make-all-of-him-except/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

[Explore all 65 George Horace Lorimer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

## More Sermons quotes

> [Christ never preached any funeral sermons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/christ-never-preached-any-funeral-sermons/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [As it can be maintained that all the great advances have come from men under forty, so the history of the world shows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/as-it-can-be-maintained-that-all-the-great-advances-have-come-from/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [Sermons are like pie-crust, the shorter the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/sermons-are-like-pie-crust-the-shorter-the-better/)

[Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/)

> [“The same Sermon on the Mount that influenced Tolstoy to write “The Kingdom of God is Within You”, inspired me to a great extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-same-sermon-on-the-mount-that-influenced-tolstoy-to-write-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [The pious farmer, who ne'er misses pray'rs, With patience suffers unexpected rain; He blesses Heav'n for what its bounty spares, And sees, resign'd, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/the-pious-farmer-who-ne-er-misses-pray-rs-with-patience-suffers/)

[Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/)

> [it's not my job to preach a sermon. Art is anyhow a homily. My job is to speak in living images, not in arguments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/it-s-not-my-job-to-preach-a-sermon-art-is-anyhow-a-homily-my-job-is/)

[Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/)

> [This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/this-topic-of-judging-others-could-actually-be-taught-in-a-two-word/)

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/)

> [If God is not with us, we do not want to continue. If the Sermon on the Mount is simply impractical, our mission work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/if-god-is-not-with-us-we-do-not-want-to-continue-if-the-sermon-on-the/)

[Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/)

> [Powers Hapgood had just come from court because there was some kind of dust-up on a picket line. The judge was so curious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/powers-hapgood-had-just-come-from-court-because-there-was-some-kind/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“I don't like to hear cut and dried sermons. No—when I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-don-t-like-to-hear-cut-and-dried-sermons-no-when-i-hear-a-man/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“According to Scripture, the trouble with man by nature is not that he is incomplete but that he is dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-lloyd-jones/according-to-scripture-the-trouble-with-man-by-nature-is-not-that-he/)

[Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [If a preacher is not first preaching to himself, better that he falls on the steps of the pulpit and breaks his neck than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/if-a-preacher-is-not-first-preaching-to-himself-better-that-he-falls/)

[John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/)

> [It was a matter of going back through a lot of sermons and remembering the questions and conversations, where these ideas came from. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/it-was-a-matter-of-going-back-through-a-lot-of-sermons-and/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Modern poverty is not the poverty that was blest in the Sermon on the Mount.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/modern-poverty-is-not-the-poverty-that-was-blest-in-the-sermon-on-the/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

[Browse all 429 Sermons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sermons/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You've got to preach short sermons to catch sinners.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Horace Lorimer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-catch-sinners/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Sermons"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-catch-sinners/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/george-horace-lorimer-10398_sermons_you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-ca_566137.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/george-horace-lorimer-10398_sermons_you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-ca_566137.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/george-horace-lorimer-10398_sermons_you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-ca_566137.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You've got to preach short sermons to catch sinners.” — George Horace Lorimer",
                "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": "George Horace Lorimer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You've got to preach short sermons...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-catch-sinners/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/you-ve-got-to-preach-short-sermons-to-catch-sinners/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
