Listening Quotes

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Following up on my post of February 13, here are a few salient quotes about the productivity and inter-personal benefits of Listening with a capital L. The sources range from modern-day business gurus to a 1st century philosopher to an ancient Ethiopian proverb. Enjoy!

“The best way to persuade people is with your ears—by listening to them.” (Dean Rusk, former U. S. Secretary of State)
“If you try to get your ideas across to others without paying attention to what they have to say, you can forget about the whole thing.” (Saul Alinsky, considered the founder of modern Community Organizing in America)
“The fool speaks. The wise man listens.” (Ethiopian proverb)
“Listen to everyone. Ideas come from everywhere.” (Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence)
“The funny thing about human beings is that we tend to respect the intelligence of, and eventually to like, those who listen attentively to our ideas even if they continue to disagree with us.” (S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-born American academic and political figure)
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” (Winston Churchill, British statesman and orator, former UK Prime Minister, Nobel Prize Winner)
“In a truly customer-driven organization, everybody listens. But that’s not the way it usually is. In a typical organization, the higher up you go the less direct listening to customers there is.” (Feargall Quinn, King of Ireland’s Shopping Malls)
“The essential information we need to get from others depends on whether they trust us or not. Who do we trust that doesn’t listen to us? No one. Want to build a trusting relationship? Want to get essential information to make important decisions? Learn how to listen. Hire people who listen to you.” (Peter deLiser, Executive Coach)
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They are either speaking or preparing to speak.” (Steve Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)
“Listening is the single skill that makes the difference between a mediocre and a great company.” (Lee Iacocca, American businessman famed for his revival of Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s)
“Hearing is a faculty; listening is an art. When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” (Ernest Hemingway, Novelist and Nobel Prize Winner)
“We have two ears and one mouth and should use them in that proportion.” (Epictetus, Greek Stoic Philosopher who lived 55-135 AD)