Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Needless To Say (27)

That One reason that so few people that can carry on a rational and agreeable conversation is because virtually everyone puts more attention on what they want to say than they do on listening to what others are saying and answering them [accordingly]. [Even] the most clever and polite people are content with only appearing to be attentive… [but in truth], they are wandering from what is said, and really want to return to what they want to say…
The worst way to persuade or please others is to try thus strongly to please ourselves; and some of the greatest charms we can have in conversation come from listening well and answering well. - Francois duc de La Rochefoucauld

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