Quotes About Conversation

It is well enough, when one is talking to a friend, to lodge in an odd word by way of counsel now and then; but there is something mighty irksome in its staring upon one in a letter, where one ought to see only kind words and friendly remembrances.

The old repeat themselves and the young have nothing to say. The boredom is mutual.

The American's conversation is much like his courtship ... He gives an inkling and watches for a reaction; if the weather looks fair, he inkles a little more. Wishing neither to intrude nor be intruded upon, he advances by stages of acceptance, by levels of agreement, by steps of concurrence.

What is reading but silent conversation?

Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen.

One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears - by listening to them.

Being in therapy is great. I spend an hour just talking about myself. It's kinda like being the guy on a date.

Conversation is the fine art of mutual consideration and communication about matters of common interest that basically have some human importance.

Great talkers are trying to fill the gap between themselves and others, but only widen it.

Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.

He (Macaulay) has occasional flashes of silence that make his conversation perfectly delightful.

As I got warmed up, and felt perfectly at home in talk, I heard myself boasting, lying, exaggerating. Oh, not deliberately, far from it. It would be unconvivial and dull to stop and arrest the flow of talk, and speak only after carefully considering whether I was telling the truth.

You never say a word of yourself, dear Lady Grey. You have that dreadful sin of anti-egotism.

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

People love to talk but hate to listen. Listening is not merely not talking, though even that is beyond most of our powers; it means taking a vigorous, human interest in what is being told us. You can listen like a blank wall or like a splendid auditorium where every sound comes back fuller and richer.

A man who listens because he has nothing to say can hardly be a source of inspiration. The only listening that counts is that of the talker who alternately absorbs and expresses ideas.

That is the happiest conversation where there is no competition, no vanity, but a calm quiet interchange of sentiments.

John Wesley's conversation is good, but he is never at leisure. He is always obliged to go at a certain hour. This is very disagreeable to a man who loves to fold his legs and have his talk out as I do.

She had lost the art of conversation, but not, unfortunately, the power of speech.

Too much agreement kills a chat.

You can never hope to become a skilled conversationalist until you learn how to put your foot tactfully through the television set.

Some persons talk simply because they think sound is more manageable than silence.

Debate is masculine; conversation is feminine.

Conceit causes more conversation than wit.