--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you don't start the conversation, we…" description: "\"If you don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you don't put in the effort, why should I?\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/anonymous-1_communication_if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-w_974954.jpg" --- # If you don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you… ![“If you don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you don't put in the effort, why should I?” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/anonymous-1_communication_if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-w_974954.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/anonymous-1_communication_if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-w_974954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/anonymous-1_communication_if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-w_974954.jpg) > “If you don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you don't put in the effort, why should I?” [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. Initiating dialogue and effort are prerequisites for reciprocal communication. **In simple terms:** Talk first, effort first. Key Takeaway Take initiative in conversations. Themes communication effort reciprocity initiative Mood assertive encouraging Type advice motivational When to use this quote - team meetings - customer service - personal relationships - conflict resolution Key Concepts social dynamics motivation responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Are you waiting for others to start? - What effort can you offer to spark dialogue? A Different Perspective If one party never initiates, the other may feel exploited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Don Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-start/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Ignore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignore/) [Start Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-conversation/) [Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk/) ## Related quotes > [If you ignore me, I will ignore you, if you don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you don't put in the efforts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-ignore-me-i-will-ignore-you-if-you-don-t-start-the-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate that if I don't start the conversation, there won't be one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-that-if-i-don-t-start-the-conversation-there-won-t-be-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate the fact that if I don't start the conversation there won't be one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-the-fact-that-if-i-don-t-start-the-conversation-there-won-t-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just because I don't start the conversation, doesn't mean I'm not dying to talk to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-i-don-t-start-the-conversation-doesn-t-mean-i-m-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you ignore me , I will ignore you , If you don't start the conversations , we won't talk . If you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jezzswag/if-you-ignore-me-i-will-ignore-you-if-you-don-t-start-the/) [JezzSwaG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jezzswag/) > [I'm done being the first one to start the conversation with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-done-being-the-first-one-to-start-the-conversation-with-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just because I don't start the conversation, doesn't mean I'm not dying to speak to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-i-don-t-start-the-conversation-doesn-t-mean-i-m-not-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You ignore me? I will ignore you. If you don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you don't put in the effort. Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ignore-me-i-will-ignore-you-if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you stop texting me, don't expect me to start the conversation next time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-stop-texting-me-don-t-expect-me-to-start-the-conversation-next/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just because I never start the conversation doesn't mean I'm not dying to speak to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-i-never-start-the-conversation-doesn-t-mean-i-m-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How to Start a Conversation and make Friends 1. Be receptive to new ideas 2. Be the first to say hello 3. Let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-to-start-a-conversation-and-make-friends-1-be-receptive-to-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That annoying moment when two people start a conversation on YOUR facebook status.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-annoying-moment-when-two-people-start-a-conversation-on-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stop looking at what you don't have and Start being thankful for what you do have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-looking-at-what-you-don-t-have-and-start-being-thankful-for-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you don't start somewhere, you'll never get anywhere. If you don't step forward, you are always in the same place. If you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-start-somewhere-you-ll-never-get-anywhere-if-you-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you don't start anything then you don't have to worry about anything coming back to haunt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-start-anything-then-you-don-t-have-to-worry-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you don't put in the effort, why should I?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-won-t-talk-if-you-don-t-put-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-won-t-talk-if-you-don-t-put-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/anonymous-1_communication_if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-w_974954.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/anonymous-1_communication_if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-w_974954.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/anonymous-1_communication_if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-w_974954.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you don't start the conversation, we won't talk. If you don't put in the effort, why should I?” — 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": "If you don't start the conversation,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-won-t-talk-if-you-don-t-put-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-start-the-conversation-we-won-t-talk-if-you-don-t-put-in/#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 } } ] } ```