LISTENING

At times the road of life can seem dark, cold, and lonely and our dreams feel so far away. But then an encouraging word from a friend or even reading an inspiring quote or listening to a moving song can renew our sense of hope and give us the strength to keep on trying once again to accomplish our dreams. -- Robert Alan Silverstein

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. -- James A. Baldwin

It seemed rather incongruous that in a society of supersophisticated communication,
we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.
-- Erma Bombeck

Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery.
-- Dr. Joyce Brothers

The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes,
and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.
-- Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Women have a lot to say about how to advance women's rights, and governments need to learn from that, listen to the movement and respond. -- Charlotte Bunch

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-- Leo Buscaglia

* Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God. ~ George Washington Carver

"Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it." -- Pablo Casals

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony.
-- William Henry Channing

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
-- Winston Churchill

Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.
-- John C. Crosby

"Dream your dream. Follow your heart. Imagine. Listen to the wind. Drink sunsets. Be free. Let the wonder never cease. Believe. Wish on EVERY star. Create adventure. Be Kind."
-- Debbie Coulter

* Older, younger, anyone can help. We've learned that our legislators listen, and people with passionate and thoughtful concerns make a difference every day. We've had constituents initiate legislation, lobby for it, organize meetings and events, and, of course, call, mail, e-mail and visit legislators to express their views. It's really great to see how much difference that individuals can make. -- Doris Day

The core psychology of a social entrepreneur is someone who cannot come to rest, in a very deep sense, until he or she has changed the pattern in an area of social concern all across society. Social entrepreneurs are married to a vision of, for example, a better way of helping young people grow up or of delivering global healthcare. They simply will not stop because they cannot be happy until their vision becomes the new pattern. They will persist for decades. And they are as realistic as they are visionary. As a result, they are very good listeners. They have to hear if something isn’t working; and, whenever they do, they just keep changing the idea and/or the environment until their idea works. They are intensely concerned with the how-to’s: How do I get from here to there? How do I solve this problem? How do these pieces fit together? -- Bill Drayton

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
-- Epictetus

Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.
-- Robert Fulghum

If someone listens, or stretches out a hand, or whispers a kind word of encouragement, or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begin to happen.
-- Loretta Girzaitis

"When we bear witness, when we become the situation — homelessness, poverty, illness, violence, death — the right action arises by itself. We don’t have to worry about what to do. We don't have to figure out solutions ahead of time. Peacemaking is the functioning of bearing witness. Once we listen with our entire body and mind, loving action arises. -- Bernie Glassman

When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.
-- Ernest Hemingway

* Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. -- Jimi Hendrix

When the heart speaks, love listens.
-- Robert M. Hensel

It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

I have come to terms with the future. From this day onward I will walk easy on the earth.
Plant trees. Kill no living things. Live in harmony with all creatures.
I will restore the earth where I am. Use no more of its resources than I need.
And listen, listen to what it is telling me.
-- M.J. Slim Hooey

We are all connected to everyone and everything in the universe. Therefore, everything one does as an individual affects the whole. All thoughts, words, images, prayers, blessings, and deeds are listened to by all that is.
-- Serge Kahili King

Right now, other frightening imperatives have distracted us so far from the program of benevolence toward our planet that it seems we might just try to burn the whole world for fuel to keep ourselves guarded and cozy. But that is not the expressed will of our people. Most of us do understand, when we can calm down and think clearly, that whether we are at peace or at war, the lives that hang in the balance are not just ours but the millions more that create the support system and biological context for humanity. More and more of us are listening for the silent alarm, stopping in our tracks, wishing to salvage the parts of this earth we haven’t yet wrecked.
-- Barbara Kingsolver

"The reason why so few people are agreeable in conversations is that each is thinking more about what he intends to say than about what others are saying, and we never listen when we are eager to speak."
-- Francois La Rochefoucauld

Kids can't see us bombing, and then listen to us talking about getting guns out of the schools. How can we tell them to solve problems without violence, if, in fact, we can't show an ability to solve problems without violence? -- Barbara Lee

“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well”
-- John Marshall

"If it is clear youth will be encouraged and listened to, and preparations are well thought out, you are set up for success... Having youth on boards and commissions has been a rewarding experience for everyone involved. Youth feel their voice is valued and that they have an impact on city decisions. Adult members benefit from the fresh perspective, optimism, and enthusiasm youth bring to the table."
-- Matt McCarte

You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time. -- M. Scott Peck

When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society.
-- Pope John Paul II

I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do. -- Christopher Reeve

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen.
Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention….
A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.
-- Rachel Naomi Remen

Listen with regard when others talk. Give your time and energy to others;
let others have their own way; do things for reasons other than furthering your own needs.
- Larry Scherwitz

A hungry people listens not to reason, not cares for justice, nor is bent by any prayers.
-- Seneca (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

The idealists dream and the dream is told, and the practical men listen and ponder and bring back the truth and apply it to human life, and progress and growth and higher human ideals come into being and so the world moves ever on. -- Anna Howard Shaw

Give me the gift of a listening heart.
-- King Solomon

We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them. In short, our foreign policy will rest on the traditional American values of restraint and empathy, not on military might.
-- Theodore C. Sorensen

“Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.”
-- Sue Patton Thoele

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." -- Mark Twain

Listen to the desires of your children. Encourage them and then give them the autonomy to make their own decision.
-- Denis Waitley

I still have great faith in democracy. I have great belief in the power of community. ~ Terry Tempest Williams * The human heart is the first home of democracy. It is where we embrace our questions: Can we be equitable? Can we be generous? Can we listen with our whole beings, not just our minds, and offer our attention rather than our opinion? And do we have enough resolve in our hearts to act courageously, relentlessly, without giving up, trusting our fellow citizens to join us in our determined pursuit—a living democracy? ~ Terry Tempest Williams