--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are not good at speaking, be good…" description: "\"“If you are not good at speaking, be good at listening.”\" — Alin Sav" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/alin-sav-821_communication_if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good_53138.jpg" --- # If you are not good at speaking, be good at listening. ![“If you are not good at speaking, be good at listening.” quote by Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/alin-sav-821_communication_if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good_53138.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/alin-sav-821_communication_if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good_53138.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/alin-sav-821_communication_if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good_53138.jpg) > ““If you are not good at speaking, be good at listening.”” [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) ## 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 relies on listening when speaking skills are lacking, emphasizing comprehension over expression. **In simple terms:** Listen to compensate for weak speaking. Key Takeaway Listening can substitute for speaking ability. Themes communication active listening skill compensation interpersonal dynamics self-awareness Mood thoughtful calm inquisitive Type advice observation maxim When to use this quote - team meetings - conflict resolution - learning environments - customer service - networking Key Concepts listening communication skill development Practical Applications - improve understanding in meetings - enhance client interactions Questions to Reflect On - How can listening improve your influence? - When might speaking be more critical than listening? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Good Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-listening/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [You might be thinking that some people are just naturally good at speaking up, and others just aren't - game over. Not true. Speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/you-might-be-thinking-that-some-people-are-just-naturally-good-at/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [In good speaking, should not the mind of the speaker know the truth of the matter about which he is to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-good-speaking-should-not-the-mind-of-the-speaker-know-the-truth-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [The key to good listening isn't technique, it's desire. Until we truly want to understand the other person, we'll never listen well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/the-key-to-good-listening-isn-t-technique-it-s-desire-until-we-truly/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [“Within the church, good questions and good listening kill the assumptions we make about others that often exacerbate divisions and gaps between us. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-hoover/within-the-church-good-questions-and-good-listening-kill-the/) [Christine Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-hoover/) > [I can speak a little German, a little Spanish, and I was a psych major, so I'm good at listening to people's problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/i-can-speak-a-little-german-a-little-spanish-and-i-was-a-psych-major/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [What good was speaking when I'd determined none of the world listened to one another, especially not when a woman was speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leanna-renee-hieber/what-good-was-speaking-when-i-d-determined-none-of-the-world-listened/) [Leanna Renee Hieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leanna-renee-hieber/) > [I think my English is pretty good, but speaking without thinking about what you are saying, you know, it's just different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-fournier/i-think-my-english-is-pretty-good-but-speaking-without-thinking-about/) [Evan Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-fournier/) > [I don't think the elite class is only speaking the good English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamata-banerjee/i-don-t-think-the-elite-class-is-only-speaking-the-good-english/) [Mamata Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamata-banerjee/) > [A vain man finds his account in speaking good or evil of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-vain-man-finds-his-account-in-speaking-good-or-evil-of-himself/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [ “It \[speaking with words that bring about harmony\] consists of speaking of what is good about people, instead of what is wrong with them.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-yves-leloup/it-speaking-with-words-that-bring-about-harmony-consists-of-speaking/) [Jean-Yves Leloup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-yves-leloup/) > [What prevents a man's speaking good sense with a smile on his face?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/what-prevents-a-man-s-speaking-good-sense-with-a-smile-on-his-face/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Speaking and doing are two different actions springing up the two completely different results. But, the best result arrives when a mans speaking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/speaking-and-doing-are-two-different-actions-springing-up-the-two/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [Every good conversation starts with good listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-good-conversation-starts-with-good-listening/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My music is colorful. The intention for it is to be good for whoever's listening to it, and my style is good for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amine/my-music-is-colorful-the-intention-for-it-is-to-be-good-for-whoever-s/) [Amine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amine/) > [I want people to feel good about listening to this record, to get some kind of peace. It's just got something magical about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/i-want-people-to-feel-good-about-listening-to-this-record-to-get-some/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) ## More by Alin Sav > [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Think big, dream big, stay humble and act now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/think-big-dream-big-stay-humble-and-act-now/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“If people don´t trust you, maybe you´ve told them the wrong story”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-people-don-t-trust-you-maybe-you-ve-told-them-the-wrong-story/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Wintertime is the best time of the year to get really fat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/wintertime-is-the-best-time-of-the-year-to-get-really-fat/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“An open mind with an open hear opens doors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/an-open-mind-with-an-open-hear-opens-doors/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Love your work and success is your next customer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/love-your-work-and-success-is-your-next-customer/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“If you think you are poor, then you are more than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-think-you-are-poor-then-you-are-more-than-that/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“You don´t need a million dollar business, you just need a million dollar team.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/you-don-t-need-a-million-dollar-business-you-just-need-a-million/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Don´t pay the price for your past, let your awesome future do this.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/don-t-pay-the-price-for-your-past-let-your-awesome-future-do-this/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Happy people decided to love people who do not deserve love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/happy-people-decided-to-love-people-who-do-not-deserve-love/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Today's common problem: The focus on results and projects, more than on people and their humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/today-s-common-problem-the-focus-on-results-and-projects-more-than-on/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Protect your mind everyday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/protect-your-mind-everyday/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“We are very skilled, but at the same time too lazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/we-are-very-skilled-but-at-the-same-time-too-lazy/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“God cannot remember forgiven sins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/god-cannot-remember-forgiven-sins/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Leadership. More than a New York Times best seller book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/leadership-more-than-a-new-york-times-best-seller-book/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) [Explore all 358 Alin Sav quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you are not good at speaking, be good at listening.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alin Sav" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good-at-listening/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good-at-listening/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/alin-sav-821_communication_if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good_53138.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/alin-sav-821_communication_if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good_53138.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/alin-sav-821_communication_if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good_53138.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are not good at speaking, be good at listening.” — Alin Sav", "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": "Alin Sav", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you are not good at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good-at-listening/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-are-not-good-at-speaking-be-good-at-listening/#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 } } ] } ```