Conversation

"An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers." Plato (Greek philosopher, 429-347 BC)

"A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you." Bert Leston Taylor (American writer, 1866-1901)

"I often quote *myself.*others.*The Bible.* It adds spice to my conversation." George Bernard Shaw (Irish dramatist, 1856-1950)

"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously." Hubert Humphrey (American Democratic politician, 1911-78)

"A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That's why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet." Truman Capote (American writer, 1924-84)

The problem with talking too fast is you may say something *you haven't thought of yet.*you regret.*stupid.* Ann Landers (American advice columnist, 1918-2002)

"I like to do my principal research in bars, where people are more likely to tell the truth or, at least, lie less convincingly than they do in briefings and books." P. J. O'Rourke (American humorous writer, 1947-)

"If other people are going to talk, conversation becomes impossible." James McNeill Whistler (American-born painter, 1834-1903)

"If you're too open-minded; your brains will fall out." Lawrence Ferlinghetti (American poet, 1919-2021)

I haven't spoken to *my wife*The Queen*my daughter* in years. I didn't want to interrupt her." Rodney Dangerfield (American comedian, 1921-2004)

"It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain (American writer, 1835-1910)

"I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway (American novelist, 1899-1961)

Never miss a good chance to *shut up.*quote yourself.*quote Albert Einstein.* Will Rogers (American actor and humorist, 1879-1935)

"Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret." Ambrose Bierce (c. 1914 American writer, 1842-)

"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much." Yogi Berra (American baseball player, 1925-2015)

"Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself." Friedrich Nietzsche (German philosopher, 1844-1900)

"The less people speak of their greatness, the more we think of it." Francis Bacon (English courtier, 1561-1626)

"From politics, it was an easy step to silence." Jane Austen (English novelist, 1775-1817)

"It was such a voice as icebergs might be supposed to use to speak to each other as they passed by night in the Arctic Sea." E. F. Benson (English novelist, 1867-1940)

"Although there exist many thousand subjects for elegant conversation, there are persons who cannot meet a cripple without talking about feet." Ernest Bramah (English writer, 1868-1942)

"Too much *agreement*wine*arguing* kills a chat." Eldridge Cleaver (American civil rights activist, 1935-)

"Is it possible to cultivate the art of conversation when living in the country all the year round?" E. M. Delafield (English writer, 1890-1943)

"The fun of talk is to find what a man really thinks, and then contrast it with the enormous lies he has been telling all dinner, and, perhaps, all his life." Benjamin Disraeli (British Tory statesman and novelist, 1804-81)

"Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact." George Eliot (English novelist, 1819-80)

"How time flies when you's doin' all the talking." Harvey Fierstein (American dramatist and actor, 1954-)

"No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next." E. W. Howe (American novelist and editor, 1853-1937)

"If you are ever at a loss to support a flagging conversation, introduce the subject of eating." Leigh Hunt (English poet and essayist, 1784-1859)

"I've just spent an hour talking to Tallulah [Bankhead] for a few minutes." Fred Keating (American actor, 1897-1961)

"There are two things in ordinary conversation which ordinary people dislike – information and wit." Stephen Leacock (Canadian humorist, 1869-1944)

The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is *waiting.*agreeing.*eating.* Fran Lebowitz (American writer, 1946-)

"No one really listens to anyone else, and if you try it for a while you'll see why." Mignon McLaughlin (American writer, 1913-83)

"He never knew what to say. If life was a party, he wasn't even in the kitchen." Terry Pratchett (English fantasy writer, 1948-2015)

"God knows she had plenty of practice." J. B. Priestley (English novelist and critic, 1894-1984) complimenting George Bernard Shaw's wife as a good listener

"She never lets *ideas*anyone*me* interrupt the easy flow of her conversation." Jean Webster (American novelist, 1876-1916)

"If one plays good music, people don't listen and if one plays bad music people don't talk." Oscar Wilde (Irish dramatist and poet, 1854-1900)

"If one could only teach the English how to talk, and the Irish how to listen, society here would be quite civilized." Oscar Wilde (Irish dramatist and poet, 1854-1900)