Quotes About Listening

It was hard to bear your soul while someone was talking to their friend about a new sweater they bought.

So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.

When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely -- the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it.

The spiders, honeybees, yellow jackets, and mud daubers: these insects still speak - a language that is older than humans. The buffalo, elk, wolf, coyote -they still talk too. It's we, the people, who have forgotten how to listen. [Osage Spider Story, an Osage Legend, told by Archie Mason, Jr]

The difference between my beliefs and having a religious faith is that I am prepared to change my views in light of new evidence, but someone of a religious faith will just stick their fingers in the ears and say: 'I'm not listening, there's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind.

What you had to say was important to this individual, and she or he wanted to listen. Just to be listened to can bring good thoughts to mind.

The reverse should be preceded by a short nurturing statement, because you don't want to sound like a district attorney during cross-examination.

But even if you're good at blank slating, have no expectations and no assumptions, listen well, take great notes, refrain from excessive talking, and don't spill beans—even if you're the perfect blank slater, the world outside the negotiation can still intrude on your ability to blank slate. If you're overly tired, it's difficult to focus.

They know that what is really said and what we actually hear during a negotiation is far more important than what we allow ourselves to think while others talk. In order to blank slate effectively, the little voice in our own heads must be silent.

Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating.

I want to talk. I talk to everybody, and it pisses me off when they interpret to talk back. I sometimes think of offering money to friends to buy their turn in a conversation.

It occurs to me,Jim,that you spend too much time trying to be interesting. Why don't you invest more time being interested?" Collin's advice from John Gardner that he took to heart.

Trying to reason with kids who are emotionally upset is a waste of good air.

Value your wife by valuing what she says.

Communication is not so much about what you say, as what you don't say.

But what I like most to do is lie down in the early evening, just for half an hour anywhere I am, and listen to all the sounds I can hear. As if I were listening to music. And being attentive to things very far and very present, and when you hear voices and they're speaking a language you don't understand, it's really beautiful. I love that.

Practice humility. Shine a light on others, give teammates the credit, volunteer to help, take accountability, seek out feedback, ask others for their opinion, truly listen to people and be open to having your mind changed.

Not everyone can be relaxed or comfortable enough to seriously listen to the (debate or interview) answers.

Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.

The more you know, the less you need to say.

The one thing you shouldn't do is try to tell a cab driver how to get somewhere.

What happens when you finally decide to tell the truth and no one listens?

She's the kind of person who looks at you when you're talking and asks you questions as if she really cares.

There's a thing - I've noticed it often. When I first say something, it's as if people don't hear me, they can't believe I'm saying it. Then they start to actually pay attention, they stop noticing that a teenage girl is talking and start to believe that it's worth listening to what I'm saying.