WIST Quotations

Billings, Josh -- Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1876-04 (1876 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:27:17 +0000

I dont kno which iz the biggest phool, the man who kan spend two hours bragging about himself, or the one who kan sit pashuntly and listen to him.

[I don’t know which is the biggest fool, the man who can spend two hours bragging about himself, or the one who can sit patiently and listen to him.]

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1876-04 (1876 ed.)
(Source)

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 7, Pyramids (1989)

Dave — Fri, 08 May 2026 22:53:55 +0000

The role of listeners has never been fully appreciated. However, it is well known that most people don’t listen. They use the time when someone else is speaking to think of what they’re going to say next. True Listeners have always been revered among oral cultures, and prized for their rarity value; bards and poets are ten a cow, but a good Listener is hard to find, or at least hard to find twice.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Discworld No. 7, Pyramids (1989)
(Source)

Bible, Vol. 1. Old Testament -- Book 20. Proverbs 18:13 (Prov 18:13) [tr. RJPS (2023 ed.)]

Dave — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:15:50 +0000

To answer before listening —
This is foolish and disgraceful.

מֵשִׁ֣יב דָּ֭בָר בְּטֶ֣רֶם יִשְׁמָ֑ע אִוֶּ֥לֶת הִיא־ל֝֗וֹ וּכְלִמָּֽה׃

The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 20. Proverbs 18:13 (Prov 18:13) [tr. RJPS (2023 ed.)]
(Source)

See La Rochefoucauld (1665).

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it,
it is folly and shame unto him.
[KJV (1611)]

To retort without first listening is folly to work one's own confusion.
[JB (1966)]

To retort without first listening is both foolish and embarrassing.
[NJB (1985)]

Listen before you answer. If you don't, you are being stupid and insulting.
[GNT (1992 ed.)]

Those who answer before they listen
are foolish and disgraceful.
[CEB (2011)]

If one gives answer before hearing,
it is folly and shame.
[NRSV (2021 ed.)]

Schweitzer, Albert -- Speech (1935-12-03), Silcoates School, Wakefield, England

Dave — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 18:21:38 +0000

And when I answer such letters I add something else: “Seek a humble sort of thing.” Our hearts often look for something very big, something wanting a lot of sacrifice, and often our heart does not see the humble things. At first you must learn to do the humble things and often they are the most difficult to do.
In those humble things, be busy about helping someone who has need of you. You see somebody alone — try and be with him, try to give him some of the hours which you might take for yourself and in that way learn to serve: and then only will you begin to find true happiness.
I don’t know what your destiny will be. Some of you will perhaps occupy remarkable positions. Perhaps some of you will become famous by your pens, or as artists. But I know one thing: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.

Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) Alsatian philosopher, physician, philanthropist, polymath
Speech (1935-12-03), Silcoates School, Wakefield, England
(Source)

Speaking of when he receives letters from people asking how to find a worthwhile cause to pursue. Translated from French by his interpreter.

Recorded in The Silcoatian, No. 25 (1935-12).

Often paraphrased down to: "Those of you who will be truly happy are those who have sought, and found, how to serve."

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld Series No. 24, The Fifth Elephant (1999)

Dave — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 20:42:06 +0000

Sam Vimes could parallel process. Most husbands can. They learn to follow their own line of thought while at the same time listening to what their wives say. And the listening is important, because at any time they could be challenged and must be ready to quote the last sentence in full. A vital additional skill is being able to scan the dialogue for telltale phrases such as “and they can deliver it tomorrow” or “so I’ve invited them for dinner” or “they can do it in blue, really quite cheaply.”

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Discworld Series No. 24, The Fifth Elephant (1999)
(Source)

La Rochefoucauld, Francois -- Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶139 (1665-1678) [tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶139]

Dave — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 22:32:52 +0000

One of the reasons why there are so few reasonable and pleasant conversationalists is that almost everyone concentrates on what he wishes to say, rather than attempting to give accurate and clear replies to what is said to him.

[Une des choses qui fait que l’on trouve si peu de gens qui paroissent raisonnables et agréables dans la conversation, c’est qu’il n’y a presque personne qui ne pense plutôt à ce qu’il veut dire qu’à répondre précisément à ce qu’on lui dit.]

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶139 (1665-1678) [tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶139]
(Source)

Present in the 1st (1665) edition. A 1665 variant read "quasi personne" rather than "presque personne."

See also Proverbs 18:13.

(Source (French)). Other translations:

There may be several causes assigned why we meet with so few persons, whom we allow to be rational and divertive in conversation. Of which this is one, that there is hardly any body, whose thoughts are not rather taken up with what he hath a mind to say himself, than in precisely answering what had been said to him; and that persons of greatest abilities and complaisance think it.
[tr. Davies (1669), ¶186]

One reason, why we find so very few Men of Sense and agreeable Conversation, is, That almost every bodies mind is more intent upon what he himself hath a mind to say, than upon making pertinent Replies to what the rest of the Company say to him.
[tr. Stanhope (1694), ¶140]

One reason why we meet with so few people who are reasonable and agreeable in conversation is, that there is scarce any body who does not think more of what he has to say, than of answering what is said to him.
[pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶64; ed. Lepoittevin-Lacroix (1797), ¶134]

We meet with few men who are agreeable in conversation: the reason is, we think more of what we have to advance, than of what they have to answer.
[ed. Carvill (1835), ¶53]

One thing which makes us find so few people who appear reasonable and agreeable in conversation is, that there is scarcely any one who does not think more of what he is about to say than of answering precisely what is said to him.
[ed. Gowens (1851), ¶142]

One of the reasons that we find so few persons rational and agreeable in conversation is there is hardly a person who does not think more of what he wants to say than of his answer to what is said.
[tr. Bund/Friswell (1871), ¶139]

One reason why so few people converse agreeably or logically is that a man pays more attention to his own utterances than to giving an exact answer to questions put to him.
[tr. Heard (1917), ¶139]

One of the reasons why so few people show themselves intelligent and agreeable in conversation is that almost every one is intent on what he wants to say himself rather than on replying with exactness to what is said to him.
[tr. Stevens (1939), ¶139]

One reason why so few people are intelligent and attractive in conversation is that almost everybody thinks of what he wants to say instead of how to answer properly what has been said to him.
[tr. Kronenberger (1959), ¶139]

One of the reasons so few people are to be found who seem sensible and pleasant in conversation is that almost everybody is thinking about what he wants to say himself rather than about answering clearly what is being said to him.
[tr. Tancock (1959), ¶139]

One reason why we find so few people who appear reasonable and agreeable in conversation, is that there is almost no one who does not think more about what he wishes to say than about pertinently replying to what is said to him.
[tr. Whichello (2016) ¶139]

Martin, Judith -- “Miss Manners,” syndicated column (2014-05-11)

Dave — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 16:27:23 +0000

Being listened to should be sufficiently gratifying in itself, whether or not the advice is followed.

Judith Martin (b. 1938) American author, journalist, etiquette expert [a.k.a. Miss Manners]
“Miss Manners,” syndicated column (2014-05-11)
(Source)

Hugo, Victor -- Les Misérables, Part 2 “Cosette,” Book 8 “Cemeteries Take What is Given Them,” ch. 1 (2.8.1) (1862) [tr. Wilbour (1862)]

Dave — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 20:24:10 +0000

Not being heard is no reason for silence.

[N’être pas écouté, ce n’est pas une raison pour se taire.]

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) French writer, journalist, human rights activist, politician
Les Misérables, Part 2 “Cosette,” Book 8 “Cemeteries Take What is Given Them,” ch. 1 (2.8.1) (1862) [tr. Wilbour (1862)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

Not to be heard is no reason why a man should hold his tongue.
[tr. Wraxall (1862)]

That one is not listened to is no reason for preserving silence.
[tr. Hapgood (1887)]

Not being heard is no reason for silence.
[tr. Wilbour/Fahnestock/MacAfee (1987)]

Not being listened to is no reason to stop talking.
[tr. Donougher (2013)]

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Sr. -- Article (1872-10), “The Poet at the Breakfast-Table,” Atlantic Monthly

Dave — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 19:40:48 +0000

It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–1894) American poet, essayist, scholar
Article (1872-10), “The Poet at the Breakfast-Table,” Atlantic Monthly
(Source)

Collected in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table, ch. 10 (1872).

Colton, Charles Caleb -- Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 13 (1820)

Dave — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 15:11:10 +0000

Were we as eloquent as angels, yet should we please some men, some women, and some children much more by listening than by talking.

Charles Caleb "C. C." Colton (1780–1832) English cleric, writer, aphorist
Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 13 (1820)
(Source)

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Heaven,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)

Dave — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 14:55:46 +0000

HEAVEN, n. A place where the wicked cease from troubling you with talk of their personal affairs, and the good listen with attention while you expound your own.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Heaven,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)
(Source)

Included in The Devil's Dictionary (1911). Originally published in the "Devil's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Wasp (1885-05-23).

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1854)

Dave — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:20:31 +0000

The art of conversation, or the qualification for a good companion, is a certain self-control, which now holds the subject, now lets it go, with a respect for the emergencies of the moment.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Journal (1854)
(Source)

Reprinted in Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1820–1872, Vol. 3 (1912).

Dante Alighieri -- The Divine Comedy [Divina Commedia], Book 1 “Inferno,” Canto 15, l. 99ff (15.99) (1309) [tr. James (2013)]

Dave — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:27:07 +0000

He listens well
Who takes notes.

[Bene ascolta chi la nota.]

Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) Italian poet
The Divine Comedy [Divina Commedia], Book 1 “Inferno,” Canto 15, l. 99ff (15.99) (1309) [tr. James (2013)]
(Source)

Virgil either warning Dante to consider all the predictions / warnings he's receiving from the damned about "future" political troubles, or else praising him for appearing to have remembered them (interpretations vary).

(Source (Italian)). Other translations:

He listens well, who what he hears remarks.
[tr. Rogers (1782), l. 96]

"Unhappy is the man," exclaim'd my Guide,
"From whose weak mind the words of wisdom glide."
[tr. Boyd (1802), st. 18]

He listens to good purpose who takes note.
[tr. Cary (1814)]

Well doth he hear, who marks what he hath heard.
[tr. Dayman (1843)]

He listens well who notes it.
[tr. Carlyle (1849)]

He listens well who notes.
[tr. Bannerman (1850)]

He listens well who noteth well.
[tr. Johnston (1867)]

He listeneth well who noteth it.
[tr. Longfellow (1867)]

Well listens he who marks it.
[tr. Butler (1885)]

Who noteth well, he well doth hear.
[tr. Minchin (1885)]

He listens well who notes it.
[tr. Norton (1892)]

He listeneth well that layeth it to heart.
[tr. Sullivan (1893)]

He listens well who notes the matter.
[tr. Griffith (1908)]

He is a good listener who takes note.
[tr. Sinclair (1939)]

He listens well who noteth well the word.
[tr. Binyon (1943)]

Well-heeded is well-heard.
[tr. Sayers (1949)]

Well heeded is well heard.
[tr. Ciardi (1954)]

He who notes it listens well.
[tr. Singleton (1970)]

He listens well who notes well what he hears.
[tr. Musa (1971)]

He who takes note of this has listened well.
[tr. Mandelbaum (1980)]

Those are the words of a good listener!
[tr. Sisson (1981)]

He who has listened well will understand.
[tr. Pinsky (1994)]

He listens well who takes note.
[tr. Durling (1996)]

He listens closely, who notes it.
[tr. Kline (2002)]

"Those listen well," he said, "who take good note."
[tr. Kirkpatrick (2006)]

He listens well who takes in what he hears.
[tr. Hollander/Hollander (2007)]

It's good
To hear such words, for they are truly profound.
[tr. Raffel (2010)]

Clement of Alexandria -- “To the Newly Baptized / Exhortation to Endurance” [tr. Butterworth]

Dave — Fri, 13 May 2022 14:09:03 +0000

Take care never to speak what you have not weighed and pondered beforehand; nor interject your own words on the spur of the moment and in the midst of another’s; for you must listen and converse in turn, with set times for speech and for silence.

Clement of Alexandria (c. AD 150 - c. 215 ) Christian theologian, philosopher, Church Father [Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Titus Flavius Clemens]
“To the Newly Baptized / Exhortation to Endurance” [tr. Butterworth]
(Source)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:23:31 +0000

To be kind is more important than to be right. Many times, what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) American writer [Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald]
(Attributed)

No actual citation found. Also often attributed (also without citation) to Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)

Dave — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:04:43 +0000

Nobody really listens to anyone else, and if you try it for a while you’ll see why.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) American journalist and author
The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)
(Source)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1963)

Dave — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:33:51 +0000

Women are good listeners, but it’s a waste of time telling your troubles to a man unless there is something specific you want him to do.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1963)
(Source)

Aristotle -- Attributed in Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers [Vitae Philosophorum], Book 5, sec. 11 [tr. Mensch (2018)]

Dave — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 14:54:48 +0000

To a talkative fellow, who poured out a torrent of words and then said, “Let’s hope I haven’t been boring you with my chatter!” he replied, “No, by Zeus, I haven’t been listening.”

[πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα ἀδολέσχην, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοῦ πολλὰ κατήντλησε, “μήτι σου κατεφλυάρησα;” “μὰ Δί᾽,” εἶπεν: “οὐ γάρ σοι προσεῖχον.]

Aristotle (384–322 BC) Greek philosopher
Attributed in Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers [Vitae Philosophorum], Book 5, sec. 11 [tr. Mensch (2018)]
(Source)

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

A chattering fellow, who had been abusing him, said to him, “Have not I been jeering you properly?” “Not that I know of,” said he, “for I have not been listening to you.”
[tr. Yonge (1853)]

To the chatterbox who poured out a flood of talk upon him and then inquired, "Have I bored you to death with my chatter?" he replied, "No, indeed; for I was not attending to you."
[tr. Hicks (1925), sec. 20]

To the man talking endlessly when he assailed him with words and asked “Have I worn you out with nonsense”, he said “By Zeus, no! I wasn’t listening to you.”
[tr. @sentantiq (2016)]

Gide, André -- Treatise on Narcissus [Le Traité du Narcisse] (1891)

Dave — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 18:48:57 +0000

Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.

André Gide (1869–1951) French author, Nobel laureate
Treatise on Narcissus [Le Traité du Narcisse] (1891)

Viorst, Judith -- Yes, Married (1972)

Dave — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 18:07:44 +0000

Not listening is probably the commonest unkindness of married life, and one that creates — more devastatingly than an eternity of forgotten birthdays and misguided Christmas gifts — an atmosphere of not loving and not caring.

Judith Viorst (b. 1931) American writer, journalist, psychoanalysis researcher
Yes, Married (1972)

Williams, Robin -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 18:28:01 +0000

A friend is someone who listens to your bullshit, tells you that it is bullshit, and listens some more.

Robin Williams (1951–2014) American comedian and actor
(Attributed)

Jackson, Andrew -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:19:07 +0000

I have accustomed myself to receive with respect the opinions of others, but always take the responsibility of deciding for myself.

Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) American politician, general, US President (1829–1837)
(Attributed)

Quoted by John F. Kennedy in the foreword to T. Sorensen, Decision-Making in the White House: The Olive Branch or the Arrows (1963)

Goethe, Johann von -- Sprüche in Prosa: Maximen und Reflexionen [Proverbs in Prose: Maxims and Reflections] (1833) [tr. Saunders (1893), “Life and Character,” #383]

Dave — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 18:35:22 +0000

Every man hears only what he understands.

[Es hört doch jeder nur, was er versteht.]

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German poet, statesman, scientist
Sprüche in Prosa: Maximen und Reflexionen [Proverbs in Prose: Maxims and Reflections] (1833) [tr. Saunders (1893), “Life and Character,” #383]
(Source)

Posthumous, on "Literature and Life." (Source (German)). Other translations:

A man hears only that which he understands.
[tr. Rönnfeldt (1900)]

For surely everyone only hears what he understands.
[tr. Stopp (1995), "Posthumous," #887]

Buscaglia, Leo -- Born For Love: Reflections on Loving (1992)

Dave — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 19:55:25 +0000

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 (1925–1998) American psychologist, writer
Born For Love: Reflections on Loving (1992)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Speech (1862-08-06), Union (War) Meeting, US Capitol steps, Washington, D. C.

Dave — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 12:08:47 +0000

I am very little inclined on any occasion to say anything unless I hope to produce some good by it.

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861–65)
Speech (1862-08-06), Union (War) Meeting, US Capitol steps, Washington, D. C.
(Source)

As reported by the New York Times the following day.

Johnson, Lyndon -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:38:10 +0000

You aren’t learning anything when you’re talking.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) American politician, educator, US President (1963–69)
(Attributed)
(Source)

Sometimes given as "You ain't learning anything when you're talking."

Reported, not as a quote, but as a sign on his wall while a US Senator, in Leslie Carpenter, "A Man of Complexity," Boston Herald (1963-12-01), read into the Congressional Record, House of Representatives (1963-12-03) by House Speaker John W. McCormack (D-RI).

Steele, Richard -- Essay (1711-04-26), The Spectator, No. 49

Dave — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:31:43 +0000

It is a Secret known but to a few, yet of no small use in the Conduct of Life, that when you fall into a Man’s Conversation, the first thing you should consider is, whether he has a greater Inclination to hear you, or that you should hear him.

Richard Steele (1672–1729) Anglo-Irish writer, journalist, playwright, politician
Essay (1711-04-26), The Spectator, No. 49
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Essay (1841), “Friendship,” Essays: First Series, No. 6

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Let us be silent, — so we may hear the whisper of the gods.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1841), “Friendship,” Essays: First Series, No. 6
(Source)

Sometimes misquoted as "whispers of the gods."

Millar, Margaret -- The Weak-Eyed Bat (1942)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

As a matter of fact, have you never noticed that most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness?

Margaret Millar (1915–1994) American-Canadian mystery and suspense writer
The Weak-Eyed Bat (1942)
(Source)

Often misattributed to Mark Twain, usually as "Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses."

More information on this quote's origins: Most Conversations Are Simply Monologues Delivered in the Presence of a Witness – Quote Investigator®

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Bore,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 18:00:00 +0000

BORE, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Bore,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)
(Source)

Included in The Devil's Dictionary (1911).

Baldwin, James -- “Fifth Avenue, Uptown,” Esquire (1960-07)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

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

James Baldwin (1924–1987) American novelist, playwright, activist
“Fifth Avenue, Uptown,” Esquire (1960-07)
(Source)

Reprinted in Nobody Knows My Name (1961). This is sometimes mis-cited to "The Precarious Vogue of Ingmar Bergman," Esquire (1960-04), which is also reprinted there.