--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Billing and cooing to me is worse to…" description: "\"Billing and cooing to me is worse to witness an execution.\" — William Hamilton Maxwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/william-hamilton-maxwell-63529_billing_billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-wit_2226243.jpg" --- # Billing and cooing to me is worse to witness an execution. ![“Billing and cooing to me is worse to witness an execution.” quote by William Hamilton Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/william-hamilton-maxwell-63529_billing_billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-wit_2226243.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/william-hamilton-maxwell-63529_billing_billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-wit_2226243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/william-hamilton-maxwell-63529_billing_billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-wit_2226243.jpg) > “Billing and cooing to me is worse to witness an execution.” [William Hamilton Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-maxwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He compares the sound of billing and cooing to the horror of witnessing an execution, highlighting its unbearable nature. **In simple terms:** The sound is as terrible as an execution. Key Takeaway Avoid actions that cause extreme distress. Themes violence psychology empathy Mood somber thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - military life - animal husbandry - public events Key Concepts trauma sensory overload moral conflict Questions to Reflect On - Why does this sound evoke such horror? - How can we mitigate distressing noises? A Different Perspective Not everyone perceives sounds equally; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Billing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billing/) [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) ## Related quotes > [“I was a witness of the execution at Horsemonger-lane this morning. ... I believe that a sight so inconceivably awful as the wickedness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-was-a-witness-of-the-execution-at-horsemonger-lane-this-morning-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“His life had been disrupted, but not his billing cycles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/his-life-had-been-disrupted-but-not-his-billing-cycles/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) > [Apple already had everyone's billing information from iTunes... you could buy things just by typing in your password... That, for the first time, brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-arment/apple-already-had-everyone-s-billing-information-from-itunes-you/) [Marco Arment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-arment/) > [I understand quarterly billing, how the record companies run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/i-understand-quarterly-billing-how-the-record-companies-run/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [From the law firm's perspective, billing by the hour has a certain appeal: it shifts risk from the firm to the client in case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pozen/from-the-law-firm-s-perspective-billing-by-the-hour-has-a-certain/) [Robert Pozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pozen/) > [To say that New York came up to its advance billing would be the baldest of understatements. Being there was like being in heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/to-say-that-new-york-came-up-to-its-advance-billing-would-be-the/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [Sensitive husbands don't like second billing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-crawford/sensitive-husbands-don-t-like-second-billing/) [Joan Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-crawford/) > [I, too, am deeply concerned with an overarching idea that dramaturgs are now authors . . .. I am not taking the position that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rosemary-scallon/i-too-am-deeply-concerned-with-an-overarching-idea-that-dramaturgs/) Dana Rosemary Scallon > [When I was 16 I started publishing all kinds of things in school magazines. My main feedback came from my English teacher, Miss Bessie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-i-was-16-i-started-publishing-all-kinds-of-things-in-school/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Thrice happy's the wooing that's not long adoing. So much time is saved in the billing and cooing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/thrice-happy-s-the-wooing-that-s-not-long-adoing-so-much-time-is/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [Josh Billings said, It is not only the most difficult thing to know oneself, but the most inconvenient one, too. Human beings have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/josh-billings-said-it-is-not-only-the-most-difficult-thing-to-know/) [John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [I mean, when I started out I was billing per hour, like a shrink because you would sit with somebody and work. But most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-vilanch/i-mean-when-i-started-out-i-was-billing-per-hour-like-a-shrink/) [Bruce Vilanch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-vilanch/) > [My mother was top billing in our house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/my-mother-was-top-billing-in-our-house/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I hate Billings, Montana. They have a fashion show at Sears Roebuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-hate-billings-montana-they-have-a-fashion-show-at-sears-roebuck/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [One thing I disliked about being a lawyer was billing for my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/one-thing-i-disliked-about-being-a-lawyer-was-billing-for-my-time/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) ## More by William Hamilton Maxwell > [I am naturally taciturn, and became a silent and attentive listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/i-am-naturally-taciturn-and-became-a-silent-and-attentive-listener/) [William Hamilton Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-maxwell/) > [The country is in an extraordinary ferment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/the-country-is-in-an-extraordinary-ferment/) [William Hamilton Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-maxwell/) > [Never were two people more opposite in sentiment than my companions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/never-were-two-people-more-opposite-in-sentiment-than-my-companions/) [William Hamilton Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-maxwell/) > [Irishmen are not reserved, and the company appeared dying to be intimately acquainted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/irishmen-are-not-reserved-and-the-company-appeared-dying-to-be/) [William Hamilton Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-maxwell/) [Explore all 5 William Hamilton Maxwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-maxwell/) ## More Billing quotes > [“His life had been disrupted, but not his billing cycles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/his-life-had-been-disrupted-but-not-his-billing-cycles/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) > [I hate Billings, Montana. They have a fashion show at Sears Roebuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-hate-billings-montana-they-have-a-fashion-show-at-sears-roebuck/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [My mother was top billing in our house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/my-mother-was-top-billing-in-our-house/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I mean, when I started out I was billing per hour, like a shrink because you would sit with somebody and work. But most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-vilanch/i-mean-when-i-started-out-i-was-billing-per-hour-like-a-shrink/) [Bruce Vilanch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-vilanch/) > [Josh Billings said, It is not only the most difficult thing to know oneself, but the most inconvenient one, too. Human beings have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/josh-billings-said-it-is-not-only-the-most-difficult-thing-to-know/) [John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [Thrice happy's the wooing that's not long adoing. So much time is saved in the billing and cooing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/thrice-happy-s-the-wooing-that-s-not-long-adoing-so-much-time-is/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [When I was 16 I started publishing all kinds of things in school magazines. My main feedback came from my English teacher, Miss Bessie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-i-was-16-i-started-publishing-all-kinds-of-things-in-school/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I, too, am deeply concerned with an overarching idea that dramaturgs are now authors . . .. I am not taking the position that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rosemary-scallon/i-too-am-deeply-concerned-with-an-overarching-idea-that-dramaturgs/) Dana Rosemary Scallon > [Sensitive husbands don't like second billing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-crawford/sensitive-husbands-don-t-like-second-billing/) [Joan Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-crawford/) > [To say that New York came up to its advance billing would be the baldest of understatements. Being there was like being in heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/to-say-that-new-york-came-up-to-its-advance-billing-would-be-the/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [From the law firm's perspective, billing by the hour has a certain appeal: it shifts risk from the firm to the client in case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pozen/from-the-law-firm-s-perspective-billing-by-the-hour-has-a-certain/) [Robert Pozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pozen/) > [I understand quarterly billing, how the record companies run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/i-understand-quarterly-billing-how-the-record-companies-run/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [Apple already had everyone's billing information from iTunes... you could buy things just by typing in your password... That, for the first time, brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-arment/apple-already-had-everyone-s-billing-information-from-itunes-you/) [Marco Arment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-arment/) > [One thing I disliked about being a lawyer was billing for my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/one-thing-i-disliked-about-being-a-lawyer-was-billing-for-my-time/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [See how that pair of billing doves With open murmurs own their loves And, heedless of censorious eyes, Pursue their unpolluted joys: No fears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/see-how-that-pair-of-billing-doves-with-open-murmurs-own-their-loves/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) [Browse all 26 Billing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Billing and cooing to me is worse to witness an execution.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Hamilton Maxwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-witness-an-execution/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Billing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-witness-an-execution/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/william-hamilton-maxwell-63529_billing_billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-wit_2226243.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/william-hamilton-maxwell-63529_billing_billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-wit_2226243.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/william-hamilton-maxwell-63529_billing_billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-wit_2226243.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Billing and cooing to me is worse to witness an execution.” — William Hamilton Maxwell", "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": "William Hamilton Maxwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-maxwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Billing and cooing to me is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-witness-an-execution/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-maxwell/billing-and-cooing-to-me-is-worse-to-witness-an-execution/#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 } } ] } ```