--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will listen to you, especially when we…" description: "\"I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/barack-obama-17_communication_i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we_3053553.jpg" --- # I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. ![“I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/barack-obama-17_communication_i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we_3053553.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/barack-obama-17_communication_i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we_3053553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/barack-obama-17_communication_i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we_3053553.jpg) > “I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Listening attentively, especially during disagreement, promotes understanding and constructive dialogue. **In simple terms:** Listen more when you disagree. Key Takeaway Prioritize listening over arguing. Themes communication conflict resolution empathy Mood thoughtful calm Type interpersonal educational When to use this quote - politics - personal relationships - teamwork Key Concepts active listening dialogue mutual respect Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure listening leads to action? - What barriers prevent true listening? A Different Perspective Listening alone doesn't resolve deep conflicts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ## Related quotes > [What I want people to take away from my music is that it's important to listen. Especially for young people, your opinion is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid/what-i-want-people-to-take-away-from-my-music-is-that-it-s-important/) [Sigrid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid/) > [We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-may-disagree-about-gay-marriage-but-surely-we-can-agree-that-it-is/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Civility also requires relearning how to disagree without being disagreeable. Surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith or, for that matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/civility-also-requires-relearning-how-to-disagree-without-being/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“or especially fragile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/or-especially-fragile/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [I was not especially a writer back in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-was-not-especially-a-writer-back-in-college/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [“if you can’t trust God, then you can’t trust anybody, especially yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-n-joy/if-you-can-t-trust-god-then-you-can-t-trust-anybody-especially/) [E.N. Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-n-joy/) > [“If you want something work hard at it...don't give up. Especially if it brings about the right changes in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serlina-rose/if-you-want-something-work-hard-at-it-don-t-give-up-especially-if-it/) Serlina Rose > [I love it when she smiles, especially when I know that the reason is me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-christian-aler/i-love-it-when-she-smiles-especially-when-i-know-that-the-reason-is-me/) Joseph Christian Aler > [Never make bad predictions, especially about the futture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/never-make-bad-predictions-especially-about-the-futture/) [Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/) > [One is always of his age and especially he who least appears so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/one-is-always-of-his-age-and-especially-he-who-least-appears-so/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [“Some things are best left unsaid, sweetling." "Even when we are alone?" "\*Especially\* when we are alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/some-things-are-best-left-unsaid-sweetling-even-when-we-are-alone/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“Trust, especially when it's difficult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/trust-especially-when-it-s-difficult/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [“You should never ask anyone for anything. Never—and especially from those who are more powerful than yourself. They will make the offer and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/you-should-never-ask-anyone-for-anything-never-and-especially-from/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [I especially love my Moto Guzzi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-especially-love-my-moto-guzzi/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## 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": "I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we-disagree/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we-disagree/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/barack-obama-17_communication_i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we_3053553.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/barack-obama-17_communication_i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we_3053553.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/barack-obama-17_communication_i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we_3053553.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.” — Barack Obama", "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": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I will listen to you, especially...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we-disagree/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-will-listen-to-you-especially-when-we-disagree/#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 } } ] } ```