---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No man would listen to you talk if he…"
description: "\"No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next.\" — E. W. Howe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/e-w-howe-2815_communication_no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-di_287452.png"
---

#  No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was…

![“No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next.” quote by E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/e-w-howe-2815_communication_no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-di_287452.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/e-w-howe-2815_communication_no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-di_287452.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/e-w-howe-2815_communication_no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-di_287452.png)

> “No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next.”

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People ignore those who seem irrelevant unless they realize they have a role to play.

**In simple terms:** Listen to others; they may be next.

Key Takeaway

Pay attention to all voices.

Themes

communication attention social dynamics

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- family discussions
- networking events

Key Concepts

empathy power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Who might you be overlooking in your circle?
- How does recognizing others' potential change interactions?

A Different Perspective

Assuming relevance can be presumptuous; not everyone seeks a turn.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm more of a 5 Live man. But I might listen to a bit of Coldplay or The Smiths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/i-m-more-of-a-5-live-man-but-i-might-listen-to-a-bit-of-coldplay-or/)

[Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/)

> [“For a woman's words to wound would require a man to listen first!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/for-a-woman-s-words-to-wound-would-require-a-man-to-listen-first/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [I still listen to Ginuwine, man. I can still listen to Donell Jones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremih/i-still-listen-to-ginuwine-man-i-can-still-listen-to-donell-jones/)

[Jeremih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremih/)

> [The wife correct " Lorelei prompted. "She makes sure her husband is treated with the proper regard and she is the one who sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-wife-correct-lorelei-prompted-she-makes-sure-her-husband-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/if-you-wish-to-know-the-mind-of-a-man-listen-to-his-words/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/talk-to-a-man-about-himself-and-he-will-listen-for-hours/)

[Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/)

> [It is well within the order of things that man should listen when his mate sings; but the true male never yet walked who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wickham/it-is-well-within-the-order-of-things-that-man-should-listen-when-his-2/)

[Anna Wickham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wickham/)

> [A true man will listen to anyone, no matter how young or old the person. For everyone has a story to tell and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/a-true-man-will-listen-to-anyone-no-matter-how-young-or-old-the/)

[Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/)

> [When a man can listen to a woman's feelings without getting angry and frustrated, he gives her a wonderful gift. He makes it safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/when-a-man-can-listen-to-a-woman-s-feelings-without-getting-angry-and/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [It is well within the order of things That man should listen when his mate sings; But the true male never yet walked Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wickham/it-is-well-within-the-order-of-things-that-man-should-listen-when-his/)

[Anna Wickham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wickham/)

> [“I wasn't unkind to him. I just didn't talk to him. I didn't talk to anybody, and I didn't want anybody talking to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/i-wasn-t-unkind-to-him-i-just-didn-t-talk-to-him-i-didn-t-talk-to/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“I didn’t say a word. I just stared at him. I figured I didn’t owe him an answer, and I was too proud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaye-murray/i-didn-t-say-a-word-i-just-stared-at-him-i-figured-i-didn-t-owe-him/)

Jaye Murray

> [“The absence of conversation didn’t bother Kafuku. He wasn’t good at small talk. While he didn’t dislike talking to people he knew well about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-absence-of-conversation-didn-t-bother-kafuku-he-wasn-t-good-at/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“It was enough to be near her and hear her talk, it didn't always matter what she was saying. It should have, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/it-was-enough-to-be-near-her-and-hear-her-talk-it-didn-t-always/)

[Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/)

> [“This wasn’t how they talked. They threw things at each other. Insults, jokes, sometimes even remotes. They made war and made peace and made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/this-wasn-t-how-they-talked-they-threw-things-at-each-other-insults/)

[Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/)

## More by E. W. Howe

> [There is always a type of man who says he loves his fellow men, and expects to make a living at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/there-is-always-a-type-of-man-who-says-he-loves-his-fellow-men-and/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [I believe in grumbling; it is the politest form of fighting known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/i-believe-in-grumbling-it-is-the-politest-form-of-fighting-known/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [A theory is no more like a fact than a photograph is like a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/a-theory-is-no-more-like-a-fact-than-a-photograph-is-like-a-person/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [Few men progress, except as they are pushed along by events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/few-men-progress-except-as-they-are-pushed-along-by-events/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [Men are a good deal better collectively than they are individually. Many a man will do that privately which he will denounce in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/men-are-a-good-deal-better-collectively-than-they-are-individually/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [The modest person is usually admired, if people ever hear of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/the-modest-person-is-usually-admired-if-people-ever-hear-of-them/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [The greatest thing in the world is for a man to be able to do something well, and say nothing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/the-greatest-thing-in-the-world-is-for-a-man-to-be-able-to-do/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [People never have confidence in a Big Talker. They know his statements must be cut down, but they can never tell how much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/people-never-have-confidence-in-a-big-talker-they-know-his-statements/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [The only gambling tip which amounts to anything is to keep out of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/the-only-gambling-tip-which-amounts-to-anything-is-to-keep-out-of-the/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [One has fear in front of a goat, in back of a mule, and on every side of a fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/one-has-fear-in-front-of-a-goat-in-back-of-a-mule-and-on-every-side/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [No man's credit is ever as good as his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-s-credit-is-ever-as-good-as-his-money/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [Some men storm imaginary Alps all their lives, and die in the foothills cursing difficulties which do not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/some-men-storm-imaginary-alps-all-their-lives-and-die-in-the/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [There is something in the red of a raspberry pie that looks as good to a man as the red in a sheep looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/there-is-something-in-the-red-of-a-raspberry-pie-that-looks-as-good/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [Love affairs have always greatly interested me, but I do not greatly care for them in books or moving pictures. In a love affair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/love-affairs-have-always-greatly-interested-me-but-i-do-not-greatly/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [Many people would be more truthful were it not for their uncontrollable desire to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/many-people-would-be-more-truthful-were-it-not-for-their/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

[Explore all 149 E. W. Howe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. 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. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. 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": "No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "E. W. Howe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-didn-t-know-it-was-his-turn-next/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-didn-t-know-it-was-his-turn-next/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/e-w-howe-2815_communication_no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-di_287452.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/e-w-howe-2815_communication_no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-di_287452.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/e-w-howe-2815_communication_no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-di_287452.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next.” — E. W. Howe",
                "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": "E. W. Howe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No man would listen to you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-didn-t-know-it-was-his-turn-next/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-didn-t-know-it-was-his-turn-next/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
