Quotes About Dialogue

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, 2nd edition,

There is no one who does not exaggerate. In conversation, men are encumbered with personality, and talk too much.

Two may talk and one may hear, but three cannot take part in a conversation of the most sincere and searching sort.

Indians are better speakers than listeners

have been consulted by this writer.

Asian Relations Conference

Language was just that thing that happened when you opened your mouth at the table, squeezed a few noises out of your vocal chords, and induced Socrates thereby to pass the salt.

those who offer invective rather than argument discourage others from speaking.

Let other people finish their sentences when they're talking.

Don't finish someone's sentences. And talking louder or faster doesn't make your idea any better.

Instead of "I think we should do A, not B," try "What if we did A, instead of B?" That allows people to offer comments rather than defend one choice.

Israelis and Palestinians need to create spaces of living together to replace places where they die together.

It was a dialogue of the deaf. The British refused to recognize the representative authority of the congresses or its leaders, and insisted on Arab acceptance of the Balfour Declaration and the terms of the Mandate that had succeeded it—the antithesis of every substantive Arab demand—as a precondition for discussion.

We need to talk," she sputtered. Adam winced. He was sure there weren't any other words in the world that would strike fear into a man of any species as quickly as those four. A man never said them.

I beg your pardon, sir, said the Frenchman. I am not a coloniser. Well, let's talk Algeria then. Let's talk about your culture and your celebrated writers.

Let me be clear: I am not an advocate of censorship.

Anything you want to know, you ask the characters.

Too much agreement kills the chat.

The idea of being on a show and having a chat, that's one thing but I wanted to do something where you'd have one person and talk.

I am really close to the Chinese government. And I have a chance to talk to them, listen to them.

There's been a lot of simple vilification of right-wing people. It's really easy to say, 'Well, you're Christian, you're anti-this and that, and I hate you.' But to me, it's more interesting to say, 'What is this person like and how do they really think?'

I think many times Christians don't really take the opportunity to hear what people are saying and seeing in the world around them.

Most people think it's a linear relationship: I speak, you listen. Actually, it's a circle, because the way you listen affects how I speak, and the way I speak affects the way you listen.

I supply a presence. There are never any long dialogue scenes to establish a character.