--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No sermon on love can fail to mention…" description: "\"“No sermon on love can fail to mention love's most difficult problem in our time--how to find effective ways to alleviate the massive suffering of huma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/william-sloane-coffin-4839_love_no-sermon-on-love-can-fail-to-mention-lo_2213727.png" --- # No sermon on love can fail to mention love's most… ![“No sermon on love can fail to mention love's most difficult problem in our time--how to find effective ways to alleviate the massive suffering of humanity at home and abroad. What we need to realize is that to love effectively we must act collectively...” quote by William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/william-sloane-coffin-4839_love_no-sermon-on-love-can-fail-to-mention-lo_2213727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/william-sloane-coffin-4839_love_no-sermon-on-love-can-fail-to-mention-lo_2213727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/william-sloane-coffin-4839_love_no-sermon-on-love-can-fail-to-mention-lo_2213727.png) > ““No sermon on love can fail to mention love's most difficult problem in our time--how to find effective ways to alleviate the massive suffering of humanity at home and abroad. What we need to realize is that to love effectively we must act collectively...”” [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. Love’s greatest challenge is easing widespread human suffering, which requires coordinated effort beyond individual goodwill. **In simple terms:** Alleviating suffering needs collective action. Key Takeaway Act together to reduce suffering. Themes love humanitarianism collective action ethics Mood compassionate urgent Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - community projects - policy advocacy - international aid - local volunteering Key Concepts social responsibility global empathy activism Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals inspire collective responsibility? - What structures best support coordinated humanitarian effort? A Different Perspective Collective action can be hindered by bureaucracy and differing priorities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If you do not love, you will not be alive; if you love effectively, you will be killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-mccabe/if-you-do-not-love-you-will-not-be-alive-if-you-love-effectively-you/) [Herbert McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-mccabe/) > [Listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, and the whole world. Notice how they preach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-of-the-cross/listen-to-the-sermon-preached-to-you-by-the-flowers-the-trees-the/) [Paul of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-of-the-cross/) > [They say love is blind but you know what they forgot to mention? 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You want to yell at them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-van-dyken/watching-someone-you-love-go-through-difficult-times-is-like-being/) [Rachel Van Dyken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-van-dyken/) > [Easy is to say we love, Difficult is to show it every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/easy-is-to-say-we-love-difficult-is-to-show-it-every-day/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) ## 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. 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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 Love quotes > [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/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I need a bath." 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