We don’t get to know people when they come to us; we must go to them to find out what they are like.

There are some people, you know, they think the way to be a big man is to shout and stomp and raise hell-and then nothing ever really happens. I’m not like that I never shoot blanks.

He that speaks much, is much mistaken.

We have language and they do not. Chimps communicate by embracing, patting, looking – all these things. And they have lots of sounds. But they cannot sit and discuss. They cannot teach about things that are not present, as far as we know.

Be not a slave of words.

I’m blessed to have such a tight-knit family that we can talk about anything. Whether we talk frequently or not, since we’re on separate ends of the country, there are a lot of moving parts, and we always stay tight and find that center ground that keeps us together.

Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.

Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply.

Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.

The kids never listen to you, especially the youngest ones.

My wife and I tried two or three times in the last 40 years to have breakfast together, but it was so disagreeable we had to stop.

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.

In the normal flow of a conversation, our attention is divided. We hear parts of what other people are saying, in order to follow and keep the conversation going. At the same time, we’re planning what we’ll say next, some exciting story of our own.

I took the vow of celibacy in 1906. I had not shared my thoughts with my wife until then, but only consulted her at the time of making the vow. She had no objection.

Of course, like anybody I repeat myself endlessly, but I don’t know that I’m doing it, usually.

If your man is a sports enthusiast, you may have to resign yourself to his spouting off in a monotone on a prize fight, football game or pennant race.

I don’t understand why or how we can bully each other.

Campaign behavior for wives: Always be on time. Do as little talking as humanly possible. Lean back in the parade car so everybody can see the president.

Let us fill our hearts with our own compassion – towards ourselves and towards all living beings.

Our most tragic error may have been our inability to establish a rapport and a confidence with the press and television with the communication media. I don’t think the press has understood me.

A saint is tolerant and is attentive to the pleadings of other human beings, not only to spoken messages but to unspoken messages as well.

Next time I see you, remind me not to talk to you.

The funny thing is that I feel close to all my characters. Deep, deep inside them all.

Stage actors are usually much more conscious of speaking up and making sure that everyone can hear in the back of the theatre; a film actor probably thinks of that a little less.

We just cannot worry about ourselves.

One has to secrete a jelly in which to slip quotations down people’s throats – and one always secretes too much jelly.

The secret to the movie business, or any business, is to get a good education in a subject besides film – whether it’s history, psychology, economics, or architecture – so you have something to make a movie about. All the skill in the world isn’t going to help you unless you have something to say.

After one has been in prison, it is the small things that one appreciates: being able to take a walk whenever one wants, going into a shop and buying a newspaper, speaking or choosing to remain silent. The simple act of being able to control one’s person.

Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent.

Fear not those who argue but those who dodge.

Language is the dress of thought.

I never gave anybody hell! I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

I’m not really good at fun-to-know, human interest stuff. We’re not ‚celebrities‘, whose life itself is a performance. Good or bad or ugly, we are our words. They’re what people meet.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to trust your team. It’s a lesson I’ve had to relearn quite a few times.

I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.

Mind your speech a little lest you should mar your fortunes.

The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animal.

The Internet has compromised the quality of debate.

Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.

If you can’t answer a man’s arguments, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.

Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. Then look at, or think of, the person triggering this emotion: With mindfulness, you can see that she is unhappy, that she is suffering. You can see her wrong perceptions. You can see that she is not beautiful when she says things that are unkind.

No one would choose a friendless existence on condition of having all the other things in the world.

Back, you know, a few generations ago, people didn’t have a way to share information and express their opinions efficiently to a lot of people. But now they do. Right now, with social networks and other tools on the Internet, all of these 500 million people have a way to say what they’re thinking and have their voice be heard.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

What humility does for one is it reminds us that there are people before me. I have already been paid for. And what I need to do is prepare myself so that I can pay for someone else who has yet to come but who may be here and needs me.

More helpful than all wisdom is one draught of simple human pity that will not forsake us.

He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees.

FaceTime helps me a lot. I feel like I’m at home even though I’m not.

The problem with having a sense of humor is often that people you use it on aren’t in a very good mood.

I’m entirely interested in people, and also other creatures and beings, but especially in people, and I tend to read them by emotional field more than anything. So I have a special interest in what they’re thinking and who they are and who’s hiding behind those eyes and how did he get there, and what’s the story, really?

It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one.

Prayer is such a basic foundation of a Christian’s relationship with God. It’s how we communicate and fellowship with Him. But a surprising number of people, young and old, new and even long-time Christians, say they’re not satisfied with their prayer life.

I did my utmost to ensure that everyone below me in the chain of command felt comfortable approaching me with concerns, ideas, thoughts, and even disagreements.

So there’s no guarantee if you like the music you will empathize with the culture and the people who made it. It doesn’t necessarily happen. I think it can, but it doesn’t necessarily happen. Which is kind of a shame.

One must steer, not talk.

A woman will doubt everything you say except it be compliments to herself.

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ‚tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.

The best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.

What I have in common with the character in ‚Truman‘ is this incredible need to please people. I feel like I want to take care of everyone and I also feel this terrible guilt if I am unable to. And I have felt this way ever since all this success started.

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.