--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best way to respond to distracting…" description: "\"“The best way to respond to distracting personal attacks is to practice bringing the conversation back to the issue at hand. Never fall into the trap o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/ben-carson-3320_communication_the-best-way-to-respond-to-distracting-p_2939531.jpg" --- # The best way to respond to distracting personal attacks is… ![“The best way to respond to distracting personal attacks is to practice bringing the conversation back to the issue at hand. Never fall into the trap of engaging in personal attacks while letting the topic of conversation slip into the background. Doing so allows your opponent to escape the need to…” quote by Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/ben-carson-3320_communication_the-best-way-to-respond-to-distracting-p_2939531.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/ben-carson-3320_communication_the-best-way-to-respond-to-distracting-p_2939531.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/ben-carson-3320_communication_the-best-way-to-respond-to-distracting-p_2939531.jpg) > ““The best way to respond to distracting personal attacks is to practice bringing the conversation back to the issue at hand. Never fall into the trap of engaging in personal attacks while letting the topic of conversation slip into the background. Doing so allows your opponent to escape the need to explain her position.”” [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deflect personal attacks by refocusing on substantive issues, preventing opponents from evading explanation. **In simple terms:** Redirect attacks to core issues. Key Takeaway Stay on topic during debates. Themes debate personal attacks focus Mood strategic calm Type political educational When to use this quote - political debates - public speaking - conflict resolution Key Concepts argumentation tactics communication strategy Questions to Reflect On - How to handle relentless personal attacks? - What techniques keep discussions productive? A Different Perspective May not always be possible to steer conversation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation Issue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation-issue-2978578/) [Distracting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracting/) [Distracting Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracting-personal-4376220/) [Personal attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-attacks/) [Respond Distracting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respond-distracting-4376219/) ## Related quotes > [It's only by being disruptive that you get people to have a conversation about an issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/it-s-only-by-being-disruptive-that-you-get-people-to-have-a/) [Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/) > [“I don't get involved in personal abuse. I'm not reducing myself to that level. If people don't like what I wear, don't like what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-don-t-get-involved-in-personal-abuse-i-m-not-reducing-myself-to/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [It's really unfortunate that instead of focusing on the really important issues in our world, Donald Trump chooses to make personal attacks on people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-winter/it-s-really-unfortunate-that-instead-of-focusing-on-the-really/) [Ariel Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-winter/) > [When I first came to Washington in the 1960s, even at the height of the Vietnam War, until the end there in '68 there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-i-first-came-to-washington-in-the-1960s-even-at-the-height-of/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [You don't hear me lambasting, engaging in personal attacks, getting nasty. I don't think that belongs in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/you-don-t-hear-me-lambasting-engaging-in-personal-attacks-getting/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Politically, I don't care what party you're from, offer a point of view and let's see what happens and really debate the issues rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/politically-i-don-t-care-what-party-you-re-from-offer-a-point-of-view/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [ The reality is \[Donald\] Trump is just better at this game than they are. Blaming the media may be a convenient foil, but the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/the-reality-is-donald-trump-is-just-better-at-this-game-than-they-are/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [“The left loses most policy debates, leading them to engage in the politics of personal destruction. Many liberals do not see conservatives as human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-golub/the-left-loses-most-policy-debates-leading-them-to-engage-in-the/) [Eric Golub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-golub/) > [I try not to make personal attacks on people - unless they're deserving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-griffin/i-try-not-to-make-personal-attacks-on-people-unless-they-re-deserving/) [Forrest Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-griffin/) > [Making personal attacks or speaking with malicious intention is something that I have always refrained from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uddhav-thackeray/making-personal-attacks-or-speaking-with-malicious-intention-is/) [Uddhav Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uddhav-thackeray/) > [Obama wanted to offer his support to birth control activist Sandra Fluke. He wanted to express his disappointment that she has been the subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/obama-wanted-to-offer-his-support-to-birth-control-activist-sandra/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [Nobody even mentioned the word losing, losing games. We know we've been a losing franchise. He just wanted to say something back like he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-crawford/nobody-even-mentioned-the-word-losing-losing-games-we-know-we-ve-been/) [Carl Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-crawford/) > [“The left wants, needs, loves, and exacerbates violent conflict. The question is…why?...Conservatives generally want policy discussions because we disagree with liberals. Liberals need gutter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-golub/the-left-wants-needs-loves-and-exacerbates-violent-conflict-the/) [Eric Golub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-golub/) > [Effective leaders do not fear passion. They welcome it. But from time to time passionate discussions digress into personal attacks, and real people get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/effective-leaders-do-not-fear-passion-they-welcome-it-but-from-time/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am of all human kindness -- since I am always so bowled over by it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctively-pessimistic-i-am-of-all/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) ## More by Ben Carson > [“We all have choices in the way we react to the words we hear. Our lives and the lives of all those around us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/we-all-have-choices-in-the-way-we-react-to-the-words-we-hear-our/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“to do only if you don’t have a good argument. This is also a good way to keep people at one another’s throats constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/to-do-only-if-you-don-t-have-a-good-argument-this-is-also-a-good-way/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“Our founding fathers placed so much emphasis on nurturing a well-educated populace because they knew that our system of democracy could not long survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/our-founding-fathers-placed-so-much-emphasis-on-nurturing-a-well/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“If mediocrity becomes the norm, the quantity of outstanding producers will decline, as will general prosperity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/if-mediocrity-becomes-the-norm-the-quantity-of-outstanding-producers/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“If we are ever going to have adequate funding for health care and other major line items in our budget, however, we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/if-we-are-ever-going-to-have-adequate-funding-for-health-care-and/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“capitalism is an economic system in which individuals or corporate groups have the right to make private decisions and to acquire private property and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/capitalism-is-an-economic-system-in-which-individuals-or-corporate/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“A gigantic, bloated government has to keep itself busy in order to justify its existence; hence, you have more regulations and meddling in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/a-gigantic-bloated-government-has-to-keep-itself-busy-in-order-to/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“Everyone should realize that today the average person lives to be about eighty years of age, the first twenty to twenty-five of which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/everyone-should-realize-that-today-the-average-person-lives-to-be/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“One of America’s most respected legacies is indeed that of rebelling for change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/one-of-america-s-most-respected-legacies-is-indeed-that-of-rebelling/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“The real question is, will we as Americans, accustomed to freedom, continue to sheepishly submit to the purveyors of political correctness without recognizing its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/the-real-question-is-will-we-as-americans-accustomed-to-freedom/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“Many well-meaning Americans have bought into the PC speech code, thinking that by being extra careful not to offend anyone we will achieve unity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/many-well-meaning-americans-have-bought-into-the-pc-speech-code/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“Many in Europe saw an opportunity to escape the oppressive and overbearing governmental systems under which they languished, and these people emigrated in droves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/many-in-europe-saw-an-opportunity-to-escape-the-oppressive-and/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“As long as you have broad representation from many parts of society, representative government works extremely well. And it works even better when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/as-long-as-you-have-broad-representation-from-many-parts-of-society/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“The Constitution is quite clear that the government has the right to tax in order to support its programs, but there is nothing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/the-constitution-is-quite-clear-that-the-government-has-the-right-to/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“Proverbs 11:9: Evil words destroy one’s friends; wise discernment rescues the godly. Proverbs 11:12: It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/proverbs-11-9-evil-words-destroy-one-s-friends-wise-discernment/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) [Explore all 131 Ben Carson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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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. 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