--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there is one general law of…" description: "\"If there is one general law of communication it is that we never communicate as effectively as we think we do.\" — Charles Handy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/charles-handy-14423_communicate_if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communica_2532909.png" --- # If there is one general law of communication it is that we… ![“If there is one general law of communication it is that we never communicate as effectively as we think we do.” quote by Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/charles-handy-14423_communicate_if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communica_2532909.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/charles-handy-14423_communicate_if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communica_2532909.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/charles-handy-14423_communicate_if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communica_2532909.png) > “If there is one general law of communication it is that we never communicate as effectively as we think we do.” [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Communication often fails because people overestimate their effectiveness, leading to misunderstandings. **In simple terms:** We overestimate how well we communicate. Key Takeaway Check assumptions about communication. Themes communication misunderstanding self‑awareness perception Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - team meetings - customer service - public speaking - conflict mediation Key Concepts cognitive bias communication theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you verify you’re understood? - What habits improve listening? A Different Perspective Even accurate communication can be misinterpreted due to context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-we-elaborate-our-means-of-communication-the-less-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Humans cannot communicate; not even their brains can communicate; not even their conscious minds can communicate. Only communication can communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklas-luhmann/humans-cannot-communicate-not-even-their-brains-can-communicate-not/) [Niklas Luhmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklas-luhmann/) > [In a few years, men will be able to communicate more effectively through a machine than face to face. That is a rather startling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-r-licklider/in-a-few-years-men-will-be-able-to-communicate-more-effectively/) [J. C. R. Licklider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-r-licklider/) > [Decades of research have shown that most happy families communicate effectively. But talking doesn't mean simply 'talking through problems,' as important as that is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/decades-of-research-have-shown-that-most-happy-families-communicate/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [The more people are reached by mass communication, the less they communicate with each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/the-more-people-are-reached-by-mass-communication-the-less-they/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [The following are the universally fundamental laws of literary communication: 1. one must have something to communicate; 2. one must have someone to whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/the-following-are-the-universally-fundamental-laws-of-literary/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [Successful relationship is not finding the perfect partner but being able to communicate effectively with the partner you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/successful-relationship-is-not-finding-the-perfect-partner-but-being/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I think we need to communicate more effectively how we treat you with respect and dignity as a customer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-munoz/i-think-we-need-to-communicate-more-effectively-how-we-treat-you-with/) [Oscar Munoz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-munoz/) > [Texas' 30th Congressional District is at its best when we all work together, and communicate effectively and efficiently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/texas-30th-congressional-district-is-at-its-best-when-we-all-work/) [Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/) > [One of the essential elements of government responsibility is to communicate effectively to the American people, especially in time of a potential terrorist attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vito-fossella/one-of-the-essential-elements-of-government-responsibility-is-to/) [Vito Fossella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vito-fossella/) > [A leader's ability to convey confidence and his ability to communicate effectively are similar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/a-leader-s-ability-to-convey-confidence-and-his-ability-to/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [The need to communicate effectively with your customers will come up again and again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-need-to-communicate-effectively-with-your-customers-will-come-up/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We're at the point now where the challenge isn't how to communicate effectively with e-mail; it's ensuring that you spend your time on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-at-the-point-now-where-the-challenge-isn-t-how-to-communicate/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/if-i-went-back-to-college-again-i-d-concentrate-on-two-areas-learning/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [“Few things give a human being as much spiritual depth as relationship. If we teach effective communication and conflict-resolution skills to our boys from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gurian/few-things-give-a-human-being-as-much-spiritual-depth-as-relationship/) [Michael Gurian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gurian/) ## More by Charles Handy > [The sobering thought is that individuals and societies are not, in the end, remembered for how they made their money, but for how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/the-sobering-thought-is-that-individuals-and-societies-are-not-in-the/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [Passion is born of vague hopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/passion-is-born-of-vague-hopes/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [To learn anything other than the stuff you find in books, you need to be able to experiment, to make mistakes, to accept feedback,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/to-learn-anything-other-than-the-stuff-you-find-in-books-you-need-to/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [Life can only be understood backwards but you have to live it forward. 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A lot of different companies characterized as social networks have different goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-think-there-s-confusion-around-what-the-point-of-social-networks-is/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Language just gradually came in, one or two stressed words a time. Before then, I would just scream. I couldn't talk. I couldn't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/language-just-gradually-came-in-one-or-two-stressed-words-a-time/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [Had Elijah Muhammad tried to introduce an orthodox form of Arab-oriented Islam, I doubt if he would have attracted 500 people, but he introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/had-elijah-muhammad-tried-to-introduce-an-orthodox-form-of-arab/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Must whales and dolphins be subjected to deafening noise that will cause more than 3.5 million instances of temporary and/or permanent hearing loss? For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/must-whales-and-dolphins-be-subjected-to-deafening-noise-that-will/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [My wish for humanity is to invent a way to communicate between us and whatever comes next. And in the end that we the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/my-wish-for-humanity-is-to-invent-a-way-to-communicate-between-us-and/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) > [Having people around you that are honest with you, and having a team around you that can actually track and communicate where things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muneshine/having-people-around-you-that-are-honest-with-you-and-having-a-team/) [Muneshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muneshine/) > [The most important thing for a director is being able to communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/the-most-important-thing-for-a-director-is-being-able-to-communicate/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [Sourav's greatest asset is his ability to communicate. He is a naturally very confident person. He encourages his team, is a great motivator and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/sourav-s-greatest-asset-is-his-ability-to-communicate-he-is-a/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) Browse all 2,325 Communicate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there is one general law of communication it is that we never communicate as effectively as we think we do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Handy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communication-it-is-that-we-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communicate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communication-it-is-that-we-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/charles-handy-14423_communicate_if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communica_2532909.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/charles-handy-14423_communicate_if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communica_2532909.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/charles-handy-14423_communicate_if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communica_2532909.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there is one general law of communication it is that we never communicate as effectively as we think we do.” — Charles Handy", "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": "Charles Handy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there is one general law...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communication-it-is-that-we-never/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/if-there-is-one-general-law-of-communication-it-is-that-we-never/#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 } } ] } ```