--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I asked an 85 year old professor, 'What…" description: "\"I asked an 85 year old professor, 'What makes you cry?' He said, 'Whenever I see or hear the truth.'\" — William Sloane Coffin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/william-sloane-coffin-4839_cry_i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-ma_693086.png" --- # I asked an 85 year old professor, 'What makes you cry?' He… ![“I asked an 85 year old professor, 'What makes you cry?' He said, 'Whenever I see or hear the truth.'” quote by William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/william-sloane-coffin-4839_cry_i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-ma_693086.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/william-sloane-coffin-4839_cry_i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-ma_693086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/william-sloane-coffin-4839_cry_i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-ma_693086.png) > “I asked an 85 year old professor, 'What makes you cry?' He said, 'Whenever I see or hear the truth.'” [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth can evoke deep emotional responses, revealing humanity's capacity for empathy and sorrow. **In simple terms:** Truth moves us to tears. Key Takeaway Recognize truth's power to touch you. Themes empathy truth humanity Mood reflective somber Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - teaching - public speaking - counseling Key Concepts philosophy emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How does truth affect your emotional state? - What truths have moved you most? A Different Perspective Truth may also cause despair if not balanced with hope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-last-class-of-my-old-professor-s-life-took-place-once-a-week-in/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [My dad, the old professor, used to say, 'Never get into an argument about what's folk music and what isn't.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/my-dad-the-old-professor-used-to-say-never-get-into-an-argument-about/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [“Here was the old Professor Emerson, simmering beneath Gabriel's chastened exterior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/here-was-the-old-professor-emerson-simmering-beneath-gabriel-s/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“seventy-six-year-old Professor Liviu Librescu, but he was from a different generation. He sacrificed himself by holding the door while ordering his students to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bird/seventy-six-year-old-professor-liviu-librescu-but-he-was-from-a/) [Chris Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bird/) > [A few years ago I met an old professor at the University of Notre Dame. Looking back on his long life of teaching, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/a-few-years-ago-i-met-an-old-professor-at-the-university-of-notre/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [I write romance, women's fiction, chicklit. I think it all fits very comfortably under the same umbrella. Basically, I write books for women -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/i-write-romance-women-s-fiction-chicklit-i-think-it-all-fits-very/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [Watch a movie that makes you laugh or listen to a song that makes you cry. Embrace your emotions and be proud of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/watch-a-movie-that-makes-you-laugh-or-listen-to-a-song-that-makes-you/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [If your lot makes you cry and be wretched, get rid of it and take another; strike out for yourself; don't listen to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/if-your-lot-makes-you-cry-and-be-wretched-get-rid-of-it-and-take/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [I want you to always hold your head up and follow your dreams wherever they take you. Don’t you ever listen to the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-want-you-to-always-hold-your-head-up-and-follow-your-dreams/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Paintings can make you cry and it's just \*\*colored dirt\*\*.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/paintings-can-make-you-cry-and-it-s-just-colored-dirt/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Laugh at love and love will make you cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-yazawa/laugh-at-love-and-love-will-make-you-cry/) [Ai Yazawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-yazawa/) > [No guy is worth your tears, but when you find that one that could be worth it, he shouldn't make you cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/no-guy-is-worth-your-tears-but-when-you-find-that-one-that-could-be/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [Nobody is worth crying for, and those that are worth it will not make you cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/nobody-is-worth-crying-for-and-those-that-are-worth-it-will-not-make/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [A grave aspect to a grave character is of much more consequence than the world is generally aware of; a barber may make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-grave-aspect-to-a-grave-character-is-of-much-more-consequence-than/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Real life is a story, too, only much more complicated. It’s still got a beginning, a middle, and an end. Everyone follows the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wooding/real-life-is-a-story-too-only-much-more-complicated-it-s-still-got-a/) [Chris Wooding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wooding/) ## More by William Sloane Coffin > [“Joy is the most important Christian emotion. Duty calls only when gratitude fails to prompt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/joy-is-the-most-important-christian-emotion-duty-calls-only-when/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [Every nation makes decisions based on self-interest and defends them on the basis of morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/every-nation-makes-decisions-based-on-self-interest-and-defends-them/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [It is one thing to say with the prophet Amos, "Let justice roll down like mighty waters," and quite another to work out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-one-thing-to-say-with-the-prophet-amos-let-justice-roll-down/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“A friend...risks her friendship for the sake of her friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/a-friend-risks-her-friendship-for-the-sake-of-her-friend/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“We are not slaves but children of our Father, free to do good, free to sin. So when in anguish over any human violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-are-not-slaves-but-children-of-our-father-free-to-do-good-free-to/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [In our time all it takes for evil to flourish is for a few good men to be a little wrong and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/in-our-time-all-it-takes-for-evil-to-flourish-is-for-a-few-good-men/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [We have sold our birthright of freedom and justice for a mess of national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-have-sold-our-birthright-of-freedom-and-justice-for-a-mess-of/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“And if we exalt freedom as Christians, we must remember that freedom is grounded in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/and-if-we-exalt-freedom-as-christians-we-must-remember-that-freedom/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“It is terribly important to realize that the leap of faith is not so much a leap of thought as of action. For while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-terribly-important-to-realize-that-the-leap-of-faith-is-not-so/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [We must be governed by the force of law, not by the law of force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-must-be-governed-by-the-force-of-law-not-by-the-law-of-force/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [Only reverence can restrain violence - reverence for human life and the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/only-reverence-can-restrain-violence-reverence-for-human-life-and-the/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“But what I am beginning to suspect is that most guilty people reject the possibility of forgiveness not because it is too good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/but-what-i-am-beginning-to-suspect-is-that-most-guilty-people-reject/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [Of God's love we can say two things: it is poured out universally for everyone from the Pope to the loneliest wino on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/of-god-s-love-we-can-say-two-things-it-is-poured-out-universally-for/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“And if God is a suffering God, if this whole universe is borne on a heart infinite in compassion, then the more we suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/and-if-god-is-a-suffering-god-if-this-whole-universe-is-borne-on-a/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“...love does have a reward. Just as the proper benefits of education are the opportunities of continuing education, so the rewards of loving are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/love-does-have-a-reward-just-as-the-proper-benefits-of-education-are/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) [Explore all 106 William Sloane Coffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) ## More Cry quotes > [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/and-then-theres-always-the-crying-and-the-weeping-that-we-hear/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [My idea for 'BoneMan's Daughters' came from the loss of my own daughter when she left home to live with a monster at age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-idea-for-boneman-s-daughters-came-from-the-loss-of-my-own-daughter/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [I knew Jimmy Dean. He tested for 'Battle Cry'. Paul Newman tested for 'Battle Cry'. I did nine tests to finally get that role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/i-knew-jimmy-dean-he-tested-for-battle-cry-paul-newman-tested-for/) [Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/) > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [I cry at the end of every book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/i-cry-at-the-end-of-every-book/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [ The most important thing I learned \[...\] was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was-that-when-a-person-dies-he/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [It is easy to speak words of love, or to meditate lovingly upon those people with whom you are in harmony. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ponder/it-is-easy-to-speak-words-of-love-or-to-meditate-lovingly-upon-those/) [Catherine Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ponder/) > [I had rather be a Kitten, and cry mew, Than one of these same Meeter Ballad-mongers: I had rather heare a Brazen Candlestick turn'd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-had-rather-be-a-kitten-and-cry-mew-than-one-of-these-same-meeter/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 4,998 Cry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I asked an 85 year old professor, 'What makes you cry?' He said, 'Whenever I see or hear the truth.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Sloane Coffin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-makes-you-cry-he-said-whenever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cry" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-makes-you-cry-he-said-whenever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/william-sloane-coffin-4839_cry_i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-ma_693086.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/william-sloane-coffin-4839_cry_i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-ma_693086.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/william-sloane-coffin-4839_cry_i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-ma_693086.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I asked an 85 year old professor, 'What makes you cry?' He said, 'Whenever I see or hear the truth.'” — William Sloane Coffin", "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 Sloane Coffin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I asked an 85 year old...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-makes-you-cry-he-said-whenever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/i-asked-an-85-year-old-professor-what-makes-you-cry-he-said-whenever/#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 } } ] } ```