--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to say that interviewing others…" description: "\"I used to say that interviewing others was perhaps the way I could stop talking and start listening. It's a kind of enforced silence.\" — Errol Morris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/errol-morris-2512_kind_i-used-to-say-that-interviewing-others-w_1470645.jpg" --- # I used to say that interviewing others was perhaps the way… ![“I used to say that interviewing others was perhaps the way I could stop talking and start listening. It's a kind of enforced silence.” quote by Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/errol-morris-2512_kind_i-used-to-say-that-interviewing-others-w_1470645.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/errol-morris-2512_kind_i-used-to-say-that-interviewing-others-w_1470645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/errol-morris-2512_kind_i-used-to-say-that-interviewing-others-w_1470645.jpg) > “I used to say that interviewing others was perhaps the way I could stop talking and start listening. It's a kind of enforced silence.” [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Listening requires silence; interviewing forces you to stop speaking and truly hear others. **In simple terms:** Interviewing teaches listening through silence. Key Takeaway Practice listening by asking questions before answering. Themes communication listening interviewing Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - personal relationships - team meetings Key Concepts empathy mindfulness dialogue Questions to Reflect On - How does silence change your understanding? - What does listening reveal you miss? A Different Perspective Silence can be uncomfortable and may limit expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ## Related quotes > [When I started my career, I can say my interviewing skills were not my strong suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-burke/when-i-started-my-career-i-can-say-my-interviewing-skills-were-not-my/) [Doris Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-burke/) > [“If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-brandeis/if-there-be-time-to-expose-through-discussion-the-falsehood-and-2/) Louis Brandeis > [When you're used to interviewing someone then you like being in control of the interview. There's something slightly unnerving about being interviewed, it's interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bacon/when-you-re-used-to-interviewing-someone-then-you-like-being-in/) [Richard Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bacon/) > [I've had some pretty rough interviews. And it's funny when people are interviewing you, and they sort of don't really understand what you do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-bayer/i-ve-had-some-pretty-rough-interviews-and-it-s-funny-when-people-are/) [Vanessa Bayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-bayer/) > [When I'm interviewing somebody I don't work from prepared questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/when-i-m-interviewing-somebody-i-don-t-work-from-prepared-questions/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [“Getting an interview with someone is like asking your good-looking cousin to go out with a friend of a friend on a blind date:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brady/getting-an-interview-with-someone-is-like-asking-your-good-looking/) [John Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brady/) > [Sometimes you're just interviewing someone and you're thinking the entire time, How can I get through this really quickly? Because I know this isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-bee/sometimes-you-re-just-interviewing-someone-and-you-re-thinking-the/) [Samantha Bee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-bee/) > [Doing an interview you're going to have certain things you want to get at, but you're better off if you play to people's strengths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-decurtis/doing-an-interview-you-re-going-to-have-certain-things-you-want-to/) [Anthony DeCurtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-decurtis/) > [I read that you have to give the person interviewing you something to remember. Apparently that doesn't mean giving them a bite mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-read-that-you-have-to-give-the-person-interviewing-you-something-to/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I am certainly more interested in interviewing than being interviewed. Sometimes you find yourself attacked from the start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/i-am-certainly-more-interested-in-interviewing-than-being-interviewed/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [I never drove a car. I'm hopeless that way. I press the wrong buttons on the tape recorder. But if the person I'm interviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-never-drove-a-car-i-m-hopeless-that-way-i-press-the-wrong-buttons/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Interviewing someone is very similar to preparing a character, isn't it? You're just asking questions: 'Who is this person? Why did they make that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/interviewing-someone-is-very-similar-to-preparing-a-character-isn-t/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [Interviewing is fun. You get to learn things about people other than yourself. When you're being interviewed, you're talking about things you've already lived.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-smear/interviewing-is-fun-you-get-to-learn-things-about-people-other-than/) [Pat Smear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-smear/) > [When you're interviewing someone, you're in control. When you're being interviewed, you think you're in control, but you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/when-you-re-interviewing-someone-you-re-in-control-when-you-re-being/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [I am really bad at actually interviewing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-norton/i-am-really-bad-at-actually-interviewing-people/) [Graham Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-norton/) ## More by Errol Morris > [God is greater than anything that man can do or has done. He is not undone by just a train of powder. "Our God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/god-is-greater-than-anything-that-man-can-do-or-has-done-he-is-not/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [In the case of The Thin Blue Line, I was surprised actually by many things. I was shooting down in Texas where the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/in-the-case-of-the-thin-blue-line-i-was-surprised-actually-by-many/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [When 'The Thin Blue Line' came out, I was criticized by many people for using reenactments, as if I wasn't dedicated to the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/when-the-thin-blue-line-came-out-i-was-criticized-by-many-people-for/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [There is such a thing as truth, but we have a vested interest in not seeing it, in avoiding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/there-is-such-a-thing-as-truth-but-we-have-a-vested-interest-in-not/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Simply coming to the perpetrator and delivering the message is Nozick's definition of revenge. And in that sense, Adi is exacting revenge. When people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/simply-coming-to-the-perpetrator-and-delivering-the-message-is-nozick/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The proper route to an understanding of the world is an examination of our errors about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-proper-route-to-an-understanding-of-the-world-is-an-examination/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The chance that any given sentence is a lie, rather than a truth, I think, is fairly great. An intentional lie, a self-deception, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-chance-that-any-given-sentence-is-a-lie-rather-than-a-truth-i/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [ Maybe \[killers\] is one of my real passions. Why deny it? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/maybe-killers-is-one-of-my-real-passions-why-deny-it/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [I envy certain writers, because there are writers who do go into a kind of different zone, where the writing isn't controlled anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-envy-certain-writers-because-there-are-writers-who-do-go-into-a/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Right now, we live in bad times in this country, and the fact that there are filmmakers addressing political and social issues is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/right-now-we-live-in-bad-times-in-this-country-and-the-fact-that/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [You can talk about a caption underneath a photograph being true or false, because there is a linguistic element. You can claim that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/you-can-talk-about-a-caption-underneath-a-photograph-being-true-or/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The fact that the world is utterly insane makes it tolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-fact-that-the-world-is-utterly-insane-makes-it-tolerable/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Appearing on the front page of the New York Times even given the state of papers today is still something that's seen by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/appearing-on-the-front-page-of-the-new-york-times-even-given-the/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [You can't tell by looking at a film-clip whether it is a drama or a documentary without knowing how it was produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/you-can-t-tell-by-looking-at-a-film-clip-whether-it-is-a-drama-or-a/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Tell me what's wrong with this idea: If you're selling to somebody, find someone like that person to sell to them. If you're trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/tell-me-what-s-wrong-with-this-idea-if-you-re-selling-to-somebody/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) [Explore all 163 Errol Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) ## More Interview quotes > [On my podcast, I got to interview Will Ferrell, Sam Hunt, Colin Cowherd - all these different names - and it was just really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-darnold/on-my-podcast-i-got-to-interview-will-ferrell-sam-hunt-colin-cowherd/) [Sam Darnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-darnold/) > [If you're going for an interview, you will dress smartly and look the part, that is absolutely fine, but it's just the level to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-swinson/if-you-re-going-for-an-interview-you-will-dress-smartly-and-look-the/) [Jo Swinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-swinson/) > [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/) [Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/) > [I'm not really a big fan of doing interviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-m-not-really-a-big-fan-of-doing-interviews/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am really bad at actually interviewing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-norton/i-am-really-bad-at-actually-interviewing-people/) [Graham Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-norton/) > [I never do formal interviews. I don't use a tape recorder. I take notes but occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/i-never-do-formal-interviews-i-don-t-use-a-tape-recorder-i-take-notes/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“Who is this man I’m supposed to interview, this man whose last name is the same as the color of my sweatpants? Is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/who-is-this-man-i-m-supposed-to-interview-this-man-whose-last-name-is/) [Andrew Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shaffer/) > [When you're interviewing someone, you're in control. When you're being interviewed, you think you're in control, but you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/when-you-re-interviewing-someone-you-re-in-control-when-you-re-being/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [I do interview senior candidates at the home office or many of our hotel or restaurant General Manager candidates. My two favorite questions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/i-do-interview-senior-candidates-at-the-home-office-or-many-of-our/) [Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/) > [I'm very quiet. I can go a whole week without talking, so doing interviews is really awkward for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-leung/i-m-very-quiet-i-can-go-a-whole-week-without-talking-so-doing/) [Katie Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-leung/) > [I'm actively trying to get away from the over-exposure that happened eight years ago. The only thing a celebrity can do in one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/i-m-actively-trying-to-get-away-from-the-over-exposure-that-happened/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [At first, when my agent told me, 'They want you to do an interview, a piece for '60 Minutes,' I was like, 'What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-antetokounmpo/at-first-when-my-agent-told-me-they-want-you-to-do-an-interview-a/) [Giannis Antetokounmpo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannis-antetokounmpo/) > [I remember I heard it in an interview with Michael Jackson one day, saying the art is gone, everybody makes records just to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-remember-i-heard-it-in-an-interview-with-michael-jackson-one-day/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) [Browse all 1,078 Interview quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to say that interviewing others was perhaps the way I could stop talking and start listening. 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