--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we want to talk, we can instead…" description: "\"When we want to talk, we can instead listen, and let our attentiveness to another's need to speak be our silent statement.\" — Bryant McGill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/bryant-mcgill-108_attentiveness_when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-list_2907993.jpg" --- # When we want to talk, we can instead listen, and let our… ![“When we want to talk, we can instead listen, and let our attentiveness to another's need to speak be our silent statement.” quote by Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/bryant-mcgill-108_attentiveness_when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-list_2907993.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/bryant-mcgill-108_attentiveness_when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-list_2907993.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/bryant-mcgill-108_attentiveness_when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-list_2907993.jpg) > “When we want to talk, we can instead listen, and let our attentiveness to another's need to speak be our silent statement.” [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## 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 speaks louder than words, showing respect and empathy. **In simple terms:** Listening is a silent statement. Key Takeaway Practice active listening to connect with others. Themes communication empathy respect Mood empathetic calm Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - team meetings - conflict resolution - counseling Key Concepts Interpersonal skills mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you show you heard someone? - When is silence more powerful than speech? A Different Perspective Listening without response can be misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attentiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attentiveness/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Let Attentiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-attentiveness-4172292/) [Listen Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen-let-3107118/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Silent Statement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent-statement-4172291/) [Speak Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-silent-261285/) [Talk Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-instead-1666011/) ## Related quotes > [If you tell me, I will listen. If you show me, I will see. If you let me experience, I will learn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-you-tell-me-i-will-listen-if-you-show-me-i-will-see-if-you-let-me/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Give advice; if people don't listen, let adversity teach them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethiopian-proverb/give-advice-if-people-don-t-listen-let-adversity-teach-them/) [Ethiopian Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethiopian-proverb/) > [“Another lesson for bookshop owners: "Learn how to listen yet let it pass through you." Thanks to some therapist friends, I have finally acquired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-welch/another-lesson-for-bookshop-owners-learn-how-to-listen-yet-let-it/) [Wendy Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-welch/) > [To be more aware, we need only listen for and let go of the thoughts which steal our attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/to-be-more-aware-we-need-only-listen-for-and-let-go-of-the-thoughts/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [We have drugs to make women speak, but none to keep them silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/we-have-drugs-to-make-women-speak-but-none-to-keep-them-silent/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Sometimez I feel, I have a million thingz to speak out, but not the right person to speak out to.. so I keep silent..!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj/sometimez-i-feel-i-have-a-million-thingz-to-speak-out-but-not-the/) [Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj/) > [I speak as I must and cannot be silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/i-speak-as-i-must-and-cannot-be-silent/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Be slow to speak, and only after having first listened quietly, so that you may understand the meaning, leanings, and wishes of those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-ignatius/be-slow-to-speak-and-only-after-having-first-listened-quietly-so-that/) [Saint Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-ignatius/) > [He knows not how to speak who cannot be silent; still less how to act with vigour and decision. - Who hastens to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/he-knows-not-how-to-speak-who-cannot-be-silent-still-less-how-to-act/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [“Wittgenstein likes to assert: "Whereof we cannot speak we must be silent". 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If we speak when we should be silent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/if-we-are-silent-when-we-should-speak-we-are-not-living-the/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) ## More by Bryant McGill > [“Witnessing a selfless act brings tears to remind us how we should be treating others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/witnessing-a-selfless-act-brings-tears-to-remind-us-how-we-should-be/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The teacher can only provide the lessons, but the student ultimately decides what to learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-teacher-can-only-provide-the-lessons-but-the-student-ultimately/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“You have permission to walk away from anything that doesn't feel right. Trust your instincts and listen to your inner-voice — it's trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-have-permission-to-walk-away-from-anything-that-doesn-t-feel/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“You cannot change another person's mind or educate them; this they must do themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-cannot-change-another-person-s-mind-or-educate-them-this-they/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The public good must come before private interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-public-good-must-come-before-private-interests/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Countries, states, cities, corporations and laws are all words on paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/countries-states-cities-corporations-and-laws-are-all-words-on-paper/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“We must remember that nature is the supreme cradle of life, and must be protected and treated with the highest respect and care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-must-remember-that-nature-is-the-supreme-cradle-of-life-and-must/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places. (p 57)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-world-is-not-fair-and-often-fools-cowards-liars-and-the-selfish/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Even discomfort or pain delivers awareness of life, and an opportunity for gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/even-discomfort-or-pain-delivers-awareness-of-life-and-an-opportunity/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The secret to unseating great power, is not to move the other direction, but to compete directly against their goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-secret-to-unseating-great-power-is-not-to-move-the-other/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“In the moments of your deepest need, despair and desperation, what you need more than any other thing, is calm and faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/in-the-moments-of-your-deepest-need-despair-and-desperation-what-you/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“It is essential that you follow your own idea of passion, even if to others it looks like suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/it-is-essential-that-you-follow-your-own-idea-of-passion-even-if-to/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Joy is a practice, not an involuntary state.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/joy-is-a-practice-not-an-involuntary-state/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) [Explore all 1,286 Bryant McGill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## More Attentiveness quotes > [Most songs come from being attentive. Attentive to life, attentive to scripture, attentive to your heart. Pay attention!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-redman/most-songs-come-from-being-attentive-attentive-to-life-attentive-to/) [Matt Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-redman/) > [Study the public behavior of top stars and you can detect a keen attentiveness to brand value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bart/study-the-public-behavior-of-top-stars-and-you-can-detect-a-keen/) [Peter Bart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bart/) > [“A key point to bear in mind: The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You’re better off not giving the small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/a-key-point-to-bear-in-mind-the-value-of-attentiveness-varies-in/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [At home we have lost the capacity to see what is before us. Travel shakes us out of our apathy, and we regain an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/at-home-we-have-lost-the-capacity-to-see-what-is-before-us-travel/) [John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [Ten times a day something happens to me like this - some strengthening throb of amazement - some good sweet empathic ping and swell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/ten-times-a-day-something-happens-to-me-like-this-some-strengthening/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“Being in the present moment is no easy task, especially when we are interrupted by someone who needs our attention at a crucial time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-canham/being-in-the-present-moment-is-no-easy-task-especially-when-we-are/) [Elizabeth Canham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-canham/) > [That nameless and infinitely delicate aroma of inexpressible tenderness and attentiveness which, in every refined and honorable attachment, is contemporary with the courtship, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/that-nameless-and-infinitely-delicate-aroma-of-inexpressible/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Learning how to think' really means learning how to exercise some control over how & what you think. It means being conscious & aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/learning-how-to-think-really-means-learning-how-to-exercise-some-2/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Celebration... is self restraint, is attentiveness, is questioning, is meditating, is awaiting, is the step over into the more wakeful glimpse of the wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/celebration-is-self-restraint-is-attentiveness-is-questioning-is/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [Time, presence and physical attentiveness are our most basic proxies for something ultimately unprovable: that we are understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-chatfield/time-presence-and-physical-attentiveness-are-our-most-basic-proxies/) [Tom Chatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-chatfield/) > [Victory brings obliviousness; defeat, attentiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/victory-brings-obliviousness-defeat-attentiveness/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [If you keep the Sabbath, you start to see creation not as somewhere to get away from your ordinary life, but a place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/if-you-keep-the-sabbath-you-start-to-see-creation-not-as-somewhere-to/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Being present, whether with children, with friends, or even with oneself, is hard work. But isn't this attentiveness - the feeling that someone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-grosz/being-present-whether-with-children-with-friends-or-even-with-oneself/) [Stephen Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-grosz/) > [“The only way to eradicate disquieted state of mind in this world is to give serious and heedful attentiveness to those in the darkest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/the-only-way-to-eradicate-disquieted-state-of-mind-in-this-world-is/) [Anyaele Sam Chiyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anyaele-sam-chiyson/) > [I may be a sleeping politician. But one should know that a sleeping politician is always awake about national politics. I am not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-deve-gowda/i-may-be-a-sleeping-politician-but-one-should-know-that-a-sleeping/) [H. D. Deve Gowda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-deve-gowda/) [Browse all 46 Attentiveness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attentiveness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we want to talk, we can instead listen, and let our attentiveness to another's need to speak be our silent statement.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bryant McGill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-listen-and-let-our-attentiveness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attentiveness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-listen-and-let-our-attentiveness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/bryant-mcgill-108_attentiveness_when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-list_2907993.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/bryant-mcgill-108_attentiveness_when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-list_2907993.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/bryant-mcgill-108_attentiveness_when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-list_2907993.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we want to talk, we can instead listen, and let our attentiveness to another's need to speak be our…” — Bryant McGill", "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": "Bryant McGill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When we want to talk, we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-listen-and-let-our-attentiveness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-we-want-to-talk-we-can-instead-listen-and-let-our-attentiveness/#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 } } ] } ```