--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We listened, as all boys in their better…" description: "\"“We listened, as all boys in their better moods will listen (ay, and men too for the matter of that), to a man whom we felt to be, with all his heart a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/thomas-hughes-21009_communication_we-listened-as-all-boys-in-their-better_734287.jpg" --- # We listened, as all boys in their better moods will listen… ![“We listened, as all boys in their better moods will listen (ay, and men too for the matter of that), to a man whom we felt to be, with all his heart and soul and strength, striving against whatever was mean and unmanly and unrighteous in our little world. It was not the cold, clear voice of one…” quote by Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/thomas-hughes-21009_communication_we-listened-as-all-boys-in-their-better_734287.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/thomas-hughes-21009_communication_we-listened-as-all-boys-in-their-better_734287.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/thomas-hughes-21009_communication_we-listened-as-all-boys-in-their-better_734287.jpg) > ““We listened, as all boys in their better moods will listen (ay, and men too for the matter of that), to a man whom we felt to be, with all his heart and soul and strength, striving against whatever was mean and unmanly and unrighteous in our little world. It was not the cold, clear voice of one giving advice and warning from serene heights to those who were struggling and sinning below, but the warm, living voice of one who was fighting for us and by our sides, and calling on us to help him and ourselves and one another.”” [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a mentor who shares their struggles, offering solidarity rather than distant counsel, inspiring collective effort against injustice. **In simple terms:** A mentor who fights alongside us, not from above. Key Takeaway Seek allies who act with you. Themes mentorship solidarity justice collective action Mood inspired determined Type narrative motivational When to use this quote - school life - social activism - community building Key Concepts Empathy shared struggle oral courage Questions to Reflect On - How can you support a mentor in their fight? - What does shared struggle teach you about leadership? A Different Perspective Such leaders may lack experience or authority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Discipleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipleship/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Encouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/) [Giving advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-advice/) [Heart and soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-and-soul/) [Mentoring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentoring/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [“We all have a choice—to be monsters or men. It is not a matter of blood, but a condition of the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-d-marie/we-all-have-a-choice-to-be-monsters-or-men-it-is-not-a-matter-of/) [Elizabeth D. Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-d-marie/) > [All men matter. You matter. I matter. It's the hardest thing in theology to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-men-matter-you-matter-i-matter-it-s-the-hardest-thing-in-theology/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Men, no matter what their promises, rarely leave their spouses the louses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-de-carlo/men-no-matter-what-their-promises-rarely-leave-their-spouses-the/) [Yvonne De Carlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-de-carlo/) > [“Oh, drat the men! No matter what they do, it's the wrong thing. And no matter who they are, it's somebody they shouldn't be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/oh-drat-the-men-no-matter-what-they-do-it-s-the-wrong-thing-and-no/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [May not be your peace in the mouth of the men; since no matter if they thing good or bad about you, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/may-not-be-your-peace-in-the-mouth-of-the-men-since-no-matter-if-they/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [“Men... No matter how unappealing, each of them imagines he is somehow worthy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/men-no-matter-how-unappealing-each-of-them-imagines-he-is-somehow/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [Men will always be men. No matter how delicious the food is, they will get tired of eating it again and again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-will-always-be-men-no-matter-how-delicious-the-food-is-they-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my experience, men are not necessarily less sensitive or compassionate than women are, and women are not necessarily any less aggressive or competitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/in-my-experience-men-are-not-necessarily-less-sensitive-or/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [At that moment his soul is fuller of the tomb and him who lies there than of the altar and Him of whom it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/at-that-moment-his-soul-is-fuller-of-the-tomb-and-him-who-lies-there/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [Everyone says, 'What is it like to wreck a Ferrari?' Man, it felt good, especially when you don't have to pay for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/everyone-says-what-is-it-like-to-wreck-a-ferrari-man-it-felt-good/) [Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/) > [“I dozed, and slipped through him, into his horse, who was, I felt at that moment, pure Patience, head to hoof, and fond of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-dozed-and-slipped-through-him-into-his-horse-who-was-i-felt-at-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We give the name scientist to the type of man who has felt experiment to be a means guiding him to search out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/we-give-the-name-scientist-to-the-type-of-man-who-has-felt-experiment/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“She was just released from prison and forgot what a man felt like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/she-was-just-released-from-prison-and-forgot-what-a-man-felt-like/) [Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/) > [“It made him feel like less of a man. And given how much less of a man he’d felt the past several weeks, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-betts/it-made-him-feel-like-less-of-a-man-and-given-how-much-less-of-a-man/) [Heidi Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-betts/) > [“Man. He felt almost guilty about the condoms in his wallet. A guy wasn't supposed to lust after Beaver Cleaver's mom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-haynes/man-he-felt-almost-guilty-about-the-condoms-in-his-wallet-a-guy-wasn/) [Jasmine Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-haynes/) ## More by Thomas Hughes > [It's more than a game. It's an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/it-s-more-than-a-game-it-s-an-institution/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [“Boyishness—by which I mean animal life in its fullest measure, good nature and honest impulses, hatred of injustice and meanness, and thoughtlessness enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/boyishness-by-which-i-mean-animal-life-in-its-fullest-measure-good/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [“A character for steadiness once gone is not easily recovered”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/a-character-for-steadiness-once-gone-is-not-easily-recovered/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God's best gifts. 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The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. 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