When a sermon at length comes to an end, people rise and praise God, and they feel the same way after many other speeches.

Holmes’s line is a dry observation about audience psychology and the social rituals surrounding public speaking. The “praise God” is less a theological claim than a wry shorthand for relief: congregations often respond warmly when a long sermon finally ends, and Holmes suggests the same dynamic applies to secular oratory. The remark punctures the assumption that applause or pious-sounding approval necessarily reflects agreement with the message; it may simply mark the end of an endurance test. In that sense, the quote doubles as advice to speakers: brevity can be mistaken for wisdom, and length can drown even good ideas in fatigue.