--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may learn things from one who…" description: "\"“We may learn things from one who preaches, or we may find their pontificating a waste of time—often enough, a hypocritical waste of time. What child e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/quentin-s-crisp-4149_children_we-may-learn-things-from-one-who-preache_1351114.jpg" --- # We may learn things from one who preaches, or we may find… ![“We may learn things from one who preaches, or we may find their pontificating a waste of time—often enough, a hypocritical waste of time. What child ever preaches? Yet time spent open-heartedly with a child is never wasted.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/quentin-s-crisp-4149_children_we-may-learn-things-from-one-who-preache_1351114.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/quentin-s-crisp-4149_children_we-may-learn-things-from-one-who-preache_1351114.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/quentin-s-crisp-4149_children_we-may-learn-things-from-one-who-preache_1351114.jpg) > ““We may learn things from one who preaches, or we may find their pontificating a waste of time—often enough, a hypocritical waste of time. What child ever preaches? Yet time spent open-heartedly with a child is never wasted.”” [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning from a child’s honest openness is valuable, while listening to a hypocritical teacher can be a waste of time. **In simple terms:** Children’s honesty is valuable; hypocritical preaching is wasteful. Key Takeaway Seek genuine, open-hearted dialogue. Themes learning honesty criticism Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - education - parenting - mentoring - personal growth - team meetings Key Concepts childhood perspective authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can you tell when advice is sincere? - When should you trust a child’s insight? A Different Perspective Even honest children can be misguiding; not all criticism is harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child Preaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-preaches-4595259/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Preaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preaches/) [Preaches Pontificating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preaches-pontificating-4595258/) [Things Preaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-preaches-4595260/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Hypocritical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-hypocritical-4595261/) [Time spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-spent/) [Waste of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-of-time/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“He who acquired all his wealth by \*being at the right place at the right time\* is hypocritical by being angry for losing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/he-who-acquired-all-his-wealth-by-being-at-the-right-place-at-the/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“One should preach not from one's rational mind but rather from the heart. Only that which is from the heart can touch another heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elder-thaddeus-of-vitovnica/one-should-preach-not-from-one-s-rational-mind-but-rather-from-the/) [Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elder-thaddeus-of-vitovnica/) > [Ah! if the pulpit would practice what it preaches, then all would be well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-greeley/ah-if-the-pulpit-would-practice-what-it-preaches-then-all-would-be/) [Horace Greeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-greeley/) > [Nature teaches more than she preaches. There are no sermons in stones. It is easier to get a spark out of a stone than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/nature-teaches-more-than-she-preaches-there-are-no-sermons-in-stones/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Everything in the service needs to preach - architecture, lighting, songs, prayers, fellowship, the smell - it all preaches. All five senses must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/everything-in-the-service-needs-to-preach-architecture-lighting-songs/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [Nothing preaches better than the act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/nothing-preaches-better-than-the-act/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Well, that’s not what the Bible preaches. It says if you know the truth, it’ll set you free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/well-that-s-not-what-the-bible-preaches-it-says-if-you-know-the-truth/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [A minister or a Christian is what he lives, not what he preaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/a-minister-or-a-christian-is-what-he-lives-not-what-he-preaches/) [John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/) > [I don't want to preach to anyone, because if someone preaches to me, I just turn off - I've been preached to my whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yungblud/i-don-t-want-to-preach-to-anyone-because-if-someone-preaches-to-me-i/) [Yungblud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yungblud/) > [The man who preaches truth and applies it to the lives of his hearers will feel the nails and the thorns. He will lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-man-who-preaches-truth-and-applies-it-to-the-lives-of-his-hearers/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Judge not the preacher; for he is thy judge: If thou mislike him, thou conceiv'st him not. God calleth preaching folly. Do not grudge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/judge-not-the-preacher-for-he-is-thy-judge-if-thou-mislike-him-thou/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [I've always wondered, am I a writer who preaches or a preacher who writes? I don't know. I love them both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/i-ve-always-wondered-am-i-a-writer-who-preaches-or-a-preacher-who/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Time teaches and preaches Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandeep-shergill/time-teaches-and-preaches-life/) [Sandeep Shergill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandeep-shergill/) > [“Everything teaches, everyone preaches, all have a gospel to sell! Better the one who is honest and open in declaring an agenda than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/everything-teaches-everyone-preaches-all-have-a-gospel-to-sell-better/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [He that preaches war is the devil's chaplain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/he-that-preaches-war-is-the-devil-s-chaplain/) [John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/) ## More by Quentin S. Crisp > [I have a sense of them being Easter religions, for some reason. Christianity, of course, is a mystery religion, too, and I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-have-a-sense-of-them-being-easter-religions-for-some-reason/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ If we do want to do that \[ colonise space to survive, \], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space-to-survive-then-vacuous/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I seemed to recall some words from an old Zen master, something like, "My Zen cuts down mountains." My rejection of Buddhism was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-seemed-to-recall-some-words-from-an-old-zen-master-something-like/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ This is the strange thing about existing in time. As \[Philip\] Larkin puts it, "truly, though our element is time, we are not used… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-is-the-strange-thing-about-existing-in-time-as-philip-larkin/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I've never been baptised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-ve-never-been-baptised/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [It would be hard to say that exactly, but antinatalism is a reality in my life, not just an interesting idea. I can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/it-would-be-hard-to-say-that-exactly-but-antinatalism-is-a-reality-in/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ \[william\] Burroughs, incidentally, took up the slogan that we are "Here to go", which contradicts the tendency in Eastern mysticism to advocate staying where… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/william-burroughs-incidentally-took-up-the-slogan-that-we-are-here-to/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [As children in the seventies we were told about nebulous 'strangers'. By definition, we didn't know who these strangers were, and we didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/as-children-in-the-seventies-we-were-told-about-nebulous-strangers-by/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [This is part of the fundamental character of Buddhism that I find problematic - that it is not interested in anything. Hence the 'Fascination'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-is-part-of-the-fundamental-character-of-buddhism-that-i-find/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ I also remember a line from a song by Smog \[Bill Callahan\], which seems to describe the experience of a town-dweller moving to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-also-remember-a-line-from-a-song-by-smog-bill-callahan-which-seems/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [This strong sense of who I am that I've always had, since I was very young, is what makes me write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-strong-sense-of-who-i-am-that-i-ve-always-had-since-i-was-very/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I like the concept of an anti-muse, though I'm not quite sure what that is. If there is such a thing in my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-like-the-concept-of-an-anti-muse-though-i-m-not-quite-sure-what/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ I really think \[William\] Burroughs was onto something here, when he said, "Dreams are a biologic necessity and your lifeline into space." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-really-think-william-burroughs-was-onto-something-here-when-he-said/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ \[My muse\] is, in fact, a woman of the world, and precisely because of this, hopes that a diversity of cultures will endure, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/my-muse-is-in-fact-a-woman-of-the-world-and-precisely-because-of-this/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I do have a muse. I am not sure how to describe her. She can be very elusive. She was born in England but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-do-have-a-muse-i-am-not-sure-how-to-describe-her-she-can-be-very/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) [Explore all 115 Quentin S. Crisp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [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/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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