--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anyone who thinks the art of conversation…" description: "\"Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/anonymous-1_art_anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversatio_720252.jpg" --- # Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to… ![“Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/anonymous-1_art_anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversatio_720252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/anonymous-1_art_anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversatio_720252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/anonymous-1_art_anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversatio_720252.jpg) > “Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If you think conversation is dead, you should enforce bedtime on a child. **In simple terms:** Conversation is alive; forcing silence is misguided. Key Takeaway Encourage dialogue, not silence. Themes communication generational gaps authority Mood concern inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family discussions - education - media consumption Key Concepts social dynamics parenting Questions to Reflect On - What does silencing a child teach about communication? - How can we keep conversation vibrant? A Different Perspective Children may still learn through listening. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art of conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-conversation/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) ## Related quotes > [What art ought to do is tell stories which are moment-by-moment wonderful, which are true to human experience, and which in no way explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-art-ought-to-do-is-tell-stories-which-are-moment-by-moment/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You will know if we're good in our relationship by the evidence or absence of conversation… For if you're dead to me how can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-a-lee-2/you-will-know-if-we-re-good-in-our-relationship-by-the-evidence-or/) Renee' A. Lee > [That is the one eternal education: to be sure enough that something is true that you dare to tell it to a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-is-the-one-eternal-education-to-be-sure-enough-that-something-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One can tell a child everything, anything. I have often been struck by the fact that parents know their children so little. They should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-can-tell-a-child-everything-anything-i-have-often-been-struck-by-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I was ever to have a child, this is what I'd tell it: 'Child,' I'd say, 'don't never mess with time. Keep now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-was-ever-to-have-a-child-this-is-what-i-d-tell-it-child-i-d-say/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most important ingredient of Sunday lunch is the conversation. Without that, it's dead and gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-torode/the-most-important-ingredient-of-sunday-lunch-is-the-conversation/) [John Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-torode/) > [The conversation with the dead is one of the great pleasures of life. Somebody who is sitting reading Chekhov, Beckett, reading Toni Morrison -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-conversation-with-the-dead-is-one-of-the-great-pleasures-of-life/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The art of conversation is to not only say the right thing at the right time, but to leave the wrong thing unsaid at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-art-of-conversation-is-to-not-only-say-the-right-thing-at-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Talk shows are proof that conversation is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/talk-shows-are-proof-that-conversation-is-dead/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I ought to tell you that I'm probably your cousin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-your-cousin/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Somebody ought to tell him his ambition is showing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-essex/somebody-ought-to-tell-him-his-ambition-is-showing/) Harry Essex > [There are so many things about which some old man ought to tell one while one is little; for when one is grown one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/there-are-so-many-things-about-which-some-old-man-ought-to-tell-one/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [I ought to tell you I'm probably your cousin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-i-m-probably-your-cousin/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“Fresh from the rarefied environments of Harvard, the author says he purposefully took journalism jobs in small southern towns so that he could learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/fresh-from-the-rarefied-environments-of-harvard-the-author-says-he/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but, far more difficult still, to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nevill/the-real-art-of-conversation-is-not-only-to-say-the-right-thing-in/) [Dorothy Nevill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nevill/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversation-is-dead-ought-to-tell-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversation-is-dead-ought-to-tell-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/anonymous-1_art_anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversatio_720252.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/anonymous-1_art_anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversatio_720252.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/anonymous-1_art_anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversatio_720252.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed.” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Anyone who thinks the art of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversation-is-dead-ought-to-tell-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-who-thinks-the-art-of-conversation-is-dead-ought-to-tell-a/#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 } } ] } ```