Communication Quote by Christopher Isherwood
““And now an hour, maybe, has passed. And they are both drunk: Kenny fairly, George very. But George is drunk in a good way, and one that he seldom achieves. He tries to describe to himself what this kind of drunkenness is like. Well - to put it very crudely - it's like Plato; it's a dialogue. A dialogue between two people. Yes, but not a Platonic dialogue in the hair-splitting, word-twisting, one-up-to-me sense; not a mock-humble bitching match; not a debate on some dreary set theme. You can talk about anything and change the subject as often as you like. In fact, what really matters is not what you talk about, but the being together in this particular relationship.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: A Single Man, 1964
True connection lies in shared presence, not topics; dialogue is fluid and intimate.
In simple terms: Being together matters more than words.
Key Takeaway
Value presence over conversation topics.
Themes
relationship
intimacy
dialogue
Mood
reflective
intimate
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- friendships
- romantic partnerships
- creative collaborations
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you nurture presence?
- What boundaries keep dialogue healthy?
A Different Perspective
May lack depth without substance.
![“[Retirement] is a dangerous experiment, and generally ends in either drunkenness or hypochrondriacism.” quote by Erasmus Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b10/erasmus-darwin-17186_dangerous_retirement-is-a-dangerous-experiment-and_142700.jpg)
