Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals. -J. read more

Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals. -J. Isham.

A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke read more

A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?

The best time to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust. -Josh Billings.

The best time to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust. -Josh Billings.

An essential part of true listening is the discipline of bracketing, the temporary giving up or setting aside of one's read more

An essential part of true listening is the discipline of bracketing, the temporary giving up or setting aside of one's own prejudices, frames of reference and desires so as to experience as far as possible the speaker's world from the inside, step in inside his or her shoes. This unification of speaker and listener is actually and extension and enlargement of ourselves, and new knowledge is always gained from this. Moreover, since true listening involves bracketing, a setting aside of the self, it also temporarily involves a total acceptance of the other. Sensing this acceptance, the speaker will fell less and less vulnerable and more and more inclined to open up the inner recesses of his or her mind to the listener. As this happens, speaker and listener begin to appreciate each other more and more, and the duet dance of love is begun again. -M. Scott Peck.

I have learned as much about writing about my people by listening to blues and jazz and spirituals as I read more

I have learned as much about writing about my people by listening to blues and jazz and spirituals as I have by reading novels.

The wise old owl lived in an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke read more

The wise old owl lived in an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard: Why can't we all be like that bird? -Edward H. Richards.

And he goes through life, his mouth open, and his mind closed.

And he goes through life, his mouth open, and his mind closed.

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.

The ear is something we cannot close at will, and we are the poorer for it.

The ear is something we cannot close at will, and we are the poorer for it.