--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone has a story if you just listen…" description: "\"Everyone has a story if you just listen and shut up.\" — Dean Baquet" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/dean-baquet-35927_communication_everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen_2622115.jpg" --- # Everyone has a story if you just listen and shut up. ![“Everyone has a story if you just listen and shut up.” quote by Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/dean-baquet-35927_communication_everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen_2622115.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/dean-baquet-35927_communication_everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen_2622115.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/dean-baquet-35927_communication_everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen_2622115.jpg) > “Everyone has a story if you just listen and shut up.” [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Listening quietly reveals stories; silence allows others to share their narratives. **In simple terms:** Listen quietly to hear stories. Key Takeaway Practice active listening. Themes listening storytelling empathy Mood thoughtful empathetic Type journalistic inspirational When to use this quote - interviews - conflict resolution - community building Key Concepts journalism communication Questions to Reflect On - What stories have you missed by not asking? - How can you balance listening and speaking? A Different Perspective Listening without response can miss clarification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“Don’t assume I’m bluffing Nan. Because this time you’ve fucked with something I care about. This affects me, so listen and shut the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/don-t-assume-i-m-bluffing-nan-because-this-time-you-ve-fucked-with/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [The further you go, what, I'm gonna wait til I'm 80? Naw, I'm tellin' my story now. I was just moved. I was moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/the-further-you-go-what-i-m-gonna-wait-til-i-m-80-naw-i-m-tellin-my/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [Spread the word about good music. Don't just listen to what's on the radio. 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You should just listen when He tells you to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinta-howard/you-never-know-why-god-has-you-move-the-way-he-does-you-should-just/) [Jacinta Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinta-howard/) > [Just Listen an excerpt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/just-listen-an-excerpt/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/the-most-basic-and-powerful-way-to-connect-to-another-person-is-to-2/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [“Don’t let me ever think, dear God, that I was anything but the instrument for Your story-just like the typewriter was mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/don-t-let-me-ever-think-dear-god-that-i-was-anything-but-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“If you don't turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else's story." "And what if your story doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/if-you-don-t-turn-your-life-into-a-story-you-just-become-a-part-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The characters write the story … I just get to be the first one to read it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bradley/the-characters-write-the-story-i-just-get-to-be-the-first-one-to-read/) Sam Bradley > [When you write a story, it just flows and you don't control it. It's subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imtiaz-ali/when-you-write-a-story-it-just-flows-and-you-don-t-control-it-it-s/) [Imtiaz Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imtiaz-ali/) > [It's not your story. It's God's story. You're just a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/it-s-not-your-story-it-s-god-s-story-you-re-just-a-character/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Belong to me, Story. Even if it’s just for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-bailey/belong-to-me-story-even-if-it-s-just-for-a-little-while/) [Tessa Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-bailey/) > [Sometimes you have dreams about the day or something like that. But, for the story, it's just present and what you have left ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-atwood/sometimes-you-have-dreams-about-the-day-or-something-like-that-but/) [Colleen Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-atwood/) ## More by Dean Baquet > [I grew up in the traditional American newspaper world with a morning paper and an afternoon paper competing with each other beat by beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/i-grew-up-in-the-traditional-american-newspaper-world-with-a-morning/) [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) > [The New York Times is and has always been a digital leader. The report only cited some areas where we fell down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/the-new-york-times-is-and-has-always-been-a-digital-leader-the-report/) [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) > [I know this is going to get me in trouble, but I'll say it: The whole notion that I am supposed to constantly tweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/i-know-this-is-going-to-get-me-in-trouble-but-i-ll-say-it-the-whole/) [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) > [The Washington Post is and has been the greatest historic competitor of the New York Times. Half of me, though, the unselfish part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/the-washington-post-is-and-has-been-the-greatest-historic-competitor/) [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) > [The mainstream press was not aggressive enough after 9/11, was not aggressive enough in asking questions about a decision to go to war in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/the-mainstream-press-was-not-aggressive-enough-after-9-11-was-not/) [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) > [My job is to cover the hell out of the story, very aggressively. The real place to be courageous if you're a news organization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/my-job-is-to-cover-the-hell-out-of-the-story-very-aggressively-the/) [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) > [The fact that Edward Snowden didn't approach the New York Times hurt a lot. It meant two things. 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We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/it-used-to-be-if-you-were-a-reporter-you-wrote-a-story-and-then-you/) [Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) [Explore all 13 Dean Baquet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/) ## 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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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": "Everyone has a story if you just listen and shut up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dean Baquet" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen-and-shut-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen-and-shut-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/dean-baquet-35927_communication_everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen_2622115.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/dean-baquet-35927_communication_everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen_2622115.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/dean-baquet-35927_communication_everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen_2622115.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everyone has a story if you just listen and shut up.” — Dean Baquet", "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": "Dean Baquet", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everyone has a story if you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen-and-shut-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/everyone-has-a-story-if-you-just-listen-and-shut-up/#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 } } ] } ```