Quotes About Attentiveness

The most important thing offered by a caregiver is simply their complete presence

and loss of focus.

By engaging with the person you're with. Which means, not thinking while they're speaking and not forming your answer as they are in the middle of asking the question. Engaging with the person means following carefully what they say, going for the full ride of their dialogue. So that you don't skip over a nuance by mistake. This is what'll keep you from zoning out, avoiding eye contact, looking at the wall like a freak, or sweating too much.

The only perspective is to really be there.

Sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there.

When I bore you, just tell me to shut up, I won't be offended.' 'I like to listen,' Stu said. 'Then you are one of God's chosen. Let's go.

To be awake is the refreshness of being.

Your feet may be small, but travel much. Your hands may be little, but conquer much. Your eyes may be tiny, but perceive much. Your ears may be modest, but heed much.

You will never be commonplace if you are vigilant in love.

she would catch the gesture: she always had

She said it was like fishing: you had to learn to be quiet and patient to reel in what you wanted.

if you learn to listen to the silence, you'll hear more of everything else.

Ve?er u stolu muži probírali akce, vypráv?li si historky, porovnávali si zkušenosti, n?kte?í smutn?, jiní vesele. Jiní ml?eli, a práv? na ty bylo t?eba dát pozor.

In a previous essay, I pointed to the strange fact that biblical Judaism, a religion of 613 commands, contains no word that means "obey." Instead, it uses the word shema, which means, to hear, to listen, to attend, to understand, to internalise, and to respond.

A la gente le gustaba ser escuchada con reverencia

Karl Bonhoeffer taught his children to speak only when they had something to say. He did not tolerate sloppiness of expression any more than he tolerated self-pity or selfishness or boastful pride. His children loved and respected him in a way that made them eager to gain his approval; he hardly had to say anything to communicate his feelings on a subject. Often a cocked eyebrow was all it took.

she really could hear, like Edmund says

There is an army of waiters in this world.

Attentiveness is hard to sustain, however. That's why backpacking remains an essential practice for me. It requires a consistent mindfulness and self-presence. It demands my keeping an eye on the trail, attending to variations in the terrain and weather patterns, noticing changes in my body as weariness rises or blisters start to form. It necessitates a reading of the entire landscape, learning to dance and flow with the interconnectedness of its details.

I don't believe anyone should ignore all the fires around you and stand pat and not worry about getting singed.

En la mesa vecina a la mía se había instalado una familia tipo (padre, madre, hijo, hija) argentina (el señor mirando el Rodin, la señora diciéndole algo en voz baja, la hija tratando de escuchar lo que decía la madre, y el hijo con cara de culo).

the person who listens well holds enormous power

With a teacher it is necessary to be sensitive to their directions; most of the time they won't say much. You have to be still and silent to understand.

A key point to bear in mind: The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You're better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.