--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can I ever hope to communicate…" description: "\"How can I ever hope to communicate something to you unless I get signals back from you that I'm on the right track or that I've started at some place t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/alan-alda-1859_communicate_how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-somet_1620776.png" --- # How can I ever hope to communicate something to you unless… ![“How can I ever hope to communicate something to you unless I get signals back from you that I'm on the right track or that I've started at some place that you're familiar with?” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/alan-alda-1859_communicate_how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-somet_1620776.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/alan-alda-1859_communicate_how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-somet_1620776.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/alan-alda-1859_communicate_how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-somet_1620776.png) > “How can I ever hope to communicate something to you unless I get signals back from you that I'm on the right track or that I've started at some place that you're familiar with?” [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective communication requires feedback and shared reference points **In simple terms:** You need signals to know you're understood Key Takeaway Seek feedback and common ground in communication Themes communication feedback understanding collaboration art Mood inquisitive encouraging Type educational psychological When to use this quote - team meetings - teaching - relationship building - creative collaboration Key Concepts Active listening signal theory dialogue dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure you’re on the same page? - What signals do you trust most? A Different Perspective Feedback may be delayed or misinterpreted ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Right track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-track/) [Signals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signals/) ## Related quotes > [“...and there I was sending all the wrong signals to the right people in the wrong ways. Again, again, again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-danforth/and-there-i-was-sending-all-the-wrong-signals-to-the-right-people-in/) [Emily M. Danforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-danforth/) > [If Jesus has become your hope, communicate this to others with your joy and your spiritual, apostolic and social engagement. Let Christ dwell within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-jesus-has-become-your-hope-communicate-this-to-others-with-your/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Write down five things you love to do. Next, write down five things that you're really good at. Then just try to match them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/write-down-five-things-you-love-to-do-next-write-down-five-things/) [Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/) > [No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track baby I was born to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/no-matter-gay-straight-or-bi-lesbian-transgendered-life-i-m-on-the/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [“Once you're using sides and sauces you're on the right track and you're also following the general principles about how to eat well in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/once-you-re-using-sides-and-sauces-you-re-on-the-right-track-and-you/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Bill Nelson has demonstrated that he is a rubber stamp for the Obama administration and he's out of touch with the solution that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hasner/bill-nelson-has-demonstrated-that-he-is-a-rubber-stamp-for-the-obama/) [Adam Hasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hasner/) > [Dear friends of Haiti, we are indeed on the right track. Slowly but surely we are rising from the ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurent-lamothe/dear-friends-of-haiti-we-are-indeed-on-the-right-track-slowly-but/) [Laurent Lamothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurent-lamothe/) > [I'm beautiful in my way 'cause God makes no mistakes. I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-m-beautiful-in-my-way-cause-god-makes-no-mistakes-i-m-on-the-right/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [When I see a paragraph shrinking under my eyes like a strip of bacon in a skillet, I know I'm on the right track.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-de-vries/when-i-see-a-paragraph-shrinking-under-my-eyes-like-a-strip-of-bacon/) [Peter De Vries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-de-vries/) > [“Don’t be afraid to be weird, don’t be afraid to be different, don’t worry too much about what other people think. 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I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/my-freshman-and-sophomore-years-in-high-school-i-spent-a-lot-of-time/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [There are some moments in life that are like pivots around which your existence turns—small intuitive flashes, when you know you have done something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-davidson/there-are-some-moments-in-life-that-are-like-pivots-around-which-your/) [Robyn Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-davidson/) > [If the goal of the Trump tax cut is to make America look more like tax-cutting North Carolina and less like soak-the-rich Connecticut and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/if-the-goal-of-the-trump-tax-cut-is-to-make-america-look-more-like/) [Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by Alan Alda > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-studied-how-to-think-in-school-i-was-taught-that-the-first/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I was brought up as a Catholic, and I'm no longer a Catholic. I don't talk about my beliefs too much in public probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-was-brought-up-as-a-catholic-and-i-m-no-longer-a-catholic-i-don-t/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [life is meaningless unless you bring meaning to it; ... it is up to us to create our own existence. Unless you do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/life-is-meaningless-unless-you-bring-meaning-to-it-it-is-up-to-us-to/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/my-mother-didn-t-try-to-stab-my-father-until-i-was-six/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively-the-creative-is-the-place-where-no/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [To do a musical takes a tremendous amount of energy because you have to act and sing at the same time. And everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/to-do-a-musical-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-because-you-have/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Be brave enough to live creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-can-t-get-there-by-bus-only-by-hard-work-risking-and-by-not-quite/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I used to read science fiction a lot, and I still like science fiction when it is a model of how we really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-read-science-fiction-a-lot-and-i-still-like-science-fiction/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Explore all 203 Alan Alda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## More Communicate quotes > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) > [Even people who can't communicate can fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaejoong/even-people-who-can-t-communicate-can-fall-in-love/) [Jaejoong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaejoong/) > [Our communications reflect in our countenance. Therefore, we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lionel-kendrick/our-communications-reflect-in-our-countenance-therefore-we-must-be/) [L. Lionel Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lionel-kendrick/) > [Always being on the move has strange consequences. I meet so many amazing people, for a night, or sometimes just a few days. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-claus/always-being-on-the-move-has-strange-consequences-i-meet-so-many/) [Gaspar Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-claus/) > [“Even without words, you communicate through touch, body language, and facial expression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmel-sheridan/even-without-words-you-communicate-through-touch-body-language-and/) [Carmel Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmel-sheridan/) > [I could say that making clothes is my way of communicating, because I was always so shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-gaultier/i-could-say-that-making-clothes-is-my-way-of-communicating-because-i/) [Jean Paul Gaultier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-gaultier/) > [I think there's confusion around what the point of social networks is. A lot of different companies characterized as social networks have different goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-think-there-s-confusion-around-what-the-point-of-social-networks-is/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Language just gradually came in, one or two stressed words a time. Before then, I would just scream. I couldn't talk. I couldn't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/language-just-gradually-came-in-one-or-two-stressed-words-a-time/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [Had Elijah Muhammad tried to introduce an orthodox form of Arab-oriented Islam, I doubt if he would have attracted 500 people, but he introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/had-elijah-muhammad-tried-to-introduce-an-orthodox-form-of-arab/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Must whales and dolphins be subjected to deafening noise that will cause more than 3.5 million instances of temporary and/or permanent hearing loss? For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/must-whales-and-dolphins-be-subjected-to-deafening-noise-that-will/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [My wish for humanity is to invent a way to communicate between us and whatever comes next. 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He encourages his team, is a great motivator and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/sourav-s-greatest-asset-is-his-ability-to-communicate-he-is-a/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) Browse all 2,325 Communicate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How can I ever hope to communicate something to you unless I get signals back from you that I'm on the right track or that I've started at some place that you're familiar with?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-something-to-you-unless-i-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communicate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-something-to-you-unless-i-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/alan-alda-1859_communicate_how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-somet_1620776.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/alan-alda-1859_communicate_how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-somet_1620776.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/alan-alda-1859_communicate_how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-somet_1620776.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How can I ever hope to communicate something to you unless I get signals back from you that I'm on the right…” — Alan Alda", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Alda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How can I ever hope to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-something-to-you-unless-i-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/how-can-i-ever-hope-to-communicate-something-to-you-unless-i-get/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```