You're Not Listening

a mental voice saying, “Hurry up and finish talking so I can tell you what I think”—which interferes with tranquil, attentive listening.

Being a good listener is one of the most important and enchanting life skills anyone can have. Yet few of us know how to do it, not because we are evil but because no one has taught us how and – a related point – few have listened sufficiently well to us. So we come to social life greedy to speak rather than listen, hungry to meet others but reluct

The “gift of listening” is based on the ability to grant deep, contemplative attention—which remains inaccessible to the hyperactive ego.

What most people call listening is actually called “waiting to talk.”