No man would listen to you talk if he did not know that it was his turn next.

No man would listen to you talk if he did not know that it was his turn next.

To be listened to is, generally speaking, a nearly unique experience for most people. It is enormously stimulating. It is read more

To be listened to is, generally speaking, a nearly unique experience for most people. It is enormously stimulating. It is small wonder that people who have been demanding all their lives to be heard so often fall speechless when confronted with one who gravely agrees to lend an ear. Man clamors for the freedom to express himself and for knowing that he counts. But once offered these conditions, he becomes frigthened. -Robert C. Murphy.

But yet she listen'd--'tis enough--
Who listens once will listen twice;
Her heart, be sure, is not read more

But yet she listen'd--'tis enough--
Who listens once will listen twice;
Her heart, be sure, is not of ice,
And one refusal no rebuff.

Accustomed to the veneer of noise, to the shibboleths of promotion, public relations, and market research, society is suspicious of read more

Accustomed to the veneer of noise, to the shibboleths of promotion, public relations, and market research, society is suspicious of those who value silence. Every person in this life has something to teach me - and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to truly listening. -John Lahr.

Well done is better than well said. -Unknown.

Well done is better than well said. -Unknown.

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.

There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. And questions are the read more

There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. And questions are the breath of life for a conversation. -James Nathan Miller.

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.

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.