---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thither daily, and oftentimes a day…"
description: "\"“Thither daily, and oftentimes a day, generally after each meal, we saw our father retire, and \"shut to the door\"; and we children got to understand by..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e58/john-gibson-paton-39944_parenting_thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-gener_1350222.png"
---

#  Thither daily, and oftentimes a day, generally after each…

![“Thither daily, and oftentimes a day, generally after each meal, we saw our father retire, and &quot;shut to the door&quot;; and we children got to understand by a sort of spiritual instinct (for the thing was too sacred to be talked about) that prayers were being poured out there for us, as of old by the…” quote by John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e58/john-gibson-paton-39944_parenting_thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-gener_1350222.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e58/john-gibson-paton-39944_parenting_thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-gener_1350222.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e58/john-gibson-paton-39944_parenting_thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-gener_1350222.png)

> ““Thither daily, and oftentimes a day, generally after each meal, we saw our father retire, and "shut to the door"; and we children got to understand by a sort of spiritual instinct (for the thing was too sacred to be talked about) that prayers were being poured out there for us, as of old by the High Priest within the veil in the Most Holy Place. We occasionally heard the pathetic echoes of a trembling voice pleading as if for life, and we learned to slip out and in past that door on tiptoe, not to disturb the holy colloquy.””

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

## About This Quote

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

Children observed a sacred ritual of prayer, feeling reverence and curiosity while respecting its secrecy.

**In simple terms:** Kids saw a secret prayer ritual and felt awe.

Key Takeaway

Respect private spiritual moments.

Themes

respect spirituality family secrecy

Mood

reflective reverent

Type

narrative observational

When to use this quote

- family life
- religious practice
- childhood curiosity
- observing traditions

Key Concepts

ritual instinct reverence

Questions to Reflect On

- How does observing sacred rituals shape a child's faith?
- What boundaries are appropriate when witnessing private worship?

A Different Perspective

The narrative may idealize the secrecy, overlooking possible emotional distress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/work-is-not-always-required-there-is-such-a-thing-as-sacred-idleness/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Government seems to me to be a part of religion itself - a thing sacred in its institutions and ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/government-seems-to-me-to-be-a-part-of-religion-itself-a-thing-sacred/)

[William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/)

> [If you think one thing is sacred but you cannot stand the other, if you love the Creator but hate the creation, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/if-you-think-one-thing-is-sacred-but-you-cannot-stand-the-other-if/)

[Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/)

> [If any thing is sacred, the human body is sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/if-any-thing-is-sacred-the-human-body-is-sacred/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [Before what is sacred, people lose all sense of power and all confidence; they occupy a powerless and humble attitude toward it. And yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-stirner/before-what-is-sacred-people-lose-all-sense-of-power-and-all/)

[Max Stirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-stirner/)

> [“Dear Lord, thank You for answered prayers and humans who do Your work here on earth. Please send Your comfort to all the animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guideposts/dear-lord-thank-you-for-answered-prayers-and-humans-who-do-your-work/)

Guideposts

> [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/)

[Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/)

> [“Worship Me Like the Goddess I Am or There Will Be Some Serious Smiting." Jubilee”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-r-green/worship-me-like-the-goddess-i-am-or-there-will-be-some-serious/)

[Simon R. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-r-green/)

> [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/)

[Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/)

> [“every church can treat each discipleship class and each worship service as an opportunity for continual rehearsal of what the words, stories, symbols, rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/every-church-can-treat-each-discipleship-class-and-each-worship/)

[Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/)

> [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

## More by John Gibson Paton

> [... and over that side of the island all their sacred men were at work trying to kill me by their (magical) arts. Messengers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/and-over-that-side-of-the-island-all-their-sacred-men-were-at-work/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [This is strength; this is peace; to feel, in entering on every day, that all its duties and trials have been committed to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/this-is-strength-this-is-peace-to-feel-in-entering-on-every-day-that/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [As I lay down my pen, let me record my immovable conviction that this is the noblest service in which any human being can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/as-i-lay-down-my-pen-let-me-record-my-immovable-conviction-that-this/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [As I lay down my pen, let me record my immovable conviction that His is the noblest service in which any human being can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/as-i-lay-down-my-pen-let-me-record-my-immovable-conviction-that-his/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [Among many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, "The cannibals! you will be eaten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/among-many-who-sought-to-deter-me-was-one-dear-old-christian/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [If I die here in Glasgow, I shall be eaten by worms; If I can but live and die serving the Lord Jesus, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/if-i-die-here-in-glasgow-i-shall-be-eaten-by-worms-if-i-can-but-live/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [I had my nearest and most intimate glimpses of the presence of my Lord in those dread moments when musket, club or spear was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/i-had-my-nearest-and-most-intimate-glimpses-of-the-presence-of-my/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [“Beautiful was it to mark how the poorest began to improve in personal appearance immediately after they came to our Class; how they gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/beautiful-was-it-to-mark-how-the-poorest-began-to-improve-in-personal/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [At the moment I put the bread and wine into those dark hands, once stained with the blood of cannibalism, now stretched out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/at-the-moment-i-put-the-bread-and-wine-into-those-dark-hands-once/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

> [Nothing so clears the vision and lifts up the life, as a decision to move forward in what you know to be entirely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/nothing-so-clears-the-vision-and-lifts-up-the-life-as-a-decision-to/)

[John Gibson Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

[Explore all 11 John Gibson Paton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/)

## More Parenting quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/)

[Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“As members of the Church, there are things you cannot do. For one, you cannot take a Las Vegas-style vacation. I do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-grant-bangerter/as-members-of-the-church-there-are-things-you-cannot-do-for-one-you/)

[William Grant Bangerter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-grant-bangerter/)

> [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/)

[Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/)

[Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/)

[Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

[Browse all 55,672 Parenting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Thither daily, and oftentimes a day, generally after each meal, we saw our father retire, and \"shut to the door\"; and we children got to understand by a sort of spiritual instinct (for the thing was too sacred to be talked about) that prayers were being poured out there for us, as of old by the High Priest within the veil in the Most Holy Place. We occasionally heard the pathetic echoes of a trembling voice pleading as if for life, and we learned to slip out and in past that door on tiptoe, not to disturb the holy colloquy.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Gibson Paton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-generally-after-each-meal-we-saw/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Parenting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-generally-after-each-meal-we-saw/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e58/john-gibson-paton-39944_parenting_thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-gener_1350222.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e58/john-gibson-paton-39944_parenting_thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-gener_1350222.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e58/john-gibson-paton-39944_parenting_thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-gener_1350222.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Thither daily, and oftentimes a day, generally after each meal, we saw our father retire, and \"shut to the…” — John Gibson 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": "John Gibson Paton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gibson-paton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Thither daily, and oftentimes a day,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-generally-after-each-meal-we-saw/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gibson-paton/thither-daily-and-oftentimes-a-day-generally-after-each-meal-we-saw/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
