--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't expect to communicate with…" description: "\"You can't expect to communicate with anyone if you're a bore.\" — John Cheever" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/john-cheever-3301_bores_you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-any_1313402.jpg" --- # You can't expect to communicate with anyone if you're a… ![“You can't expect to communicate with anyone if you're a bore.” quote by John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/john-cheever-3301_bores_you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-any_1313402.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/john-cheever-3301_bores_you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-any_1313402.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/john-cheever-3301_bores_you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-any_1313402.jpg) > “You can't expect to communicate with anyone if you're a bore.” [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Boring communication prevents meaningful connection; engagement requires genuine interest and variety. **In simple terms:** Boring people can't connect. Key Takeaway Be interesting and listen. Themes communication engagement authenticity Mood conversational humorous Type social practical When to use this quote - networking events - dating - team meetings - public speaking Key Concepts social dynamics conversation skills Questions to Reflect On - What makes you a boring conversationalist? - How can you spark interest without forcing it? A Different Perspective Not everyone can be entertaining all the time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) ## Related quotes > [How do you expect to communicate with the ocean, when you can’t even understand one another?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-do-you-expect-to-communicate-with-the-ocean-when-you-can-t-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one ever did anything worth doing unless they were prepared to go on with it long after it became something of a bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-v-steere/no-one-ever-did-anything-worth-doing-unless-they-were-prepared-to-go/) [Douglas V. Steere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-v-steere/) > [A stupid disgusting bore is a guy who has nothing to say, and nonetheless says it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/a-stupid-disgusting-bore-is-a-guy-who-has-nothing-to-say-and/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [The bore is good for promoting sleep; but though he causeth sleep in others, it is uncertain whether he ever sleeps himself; as few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/the-bore-is-good-for-promoting-sleep-but-though-he-causeth-sleep-in/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [It's the easiest thing in the world to do that, to make successful photographs. It's a bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/it-s-the-easiest-thing-in-the-world-to-do-that-to-make-successful/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [He never bore a grudge against anyone he wronged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-signoret/he-never-bore-a-grudge-against-anyone-he-wronged/) [Simone Signoret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-signoret/) > [I love not knowing what's going to happen next. With work, you never know. You rehearse and strive and get it right sometimes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-imrie/i-love-not-knowing-what-s-going-to-happen-next-with-work-you-never/) [Celia Imrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-imrie/) > [I've met you many times Lucinda, and most of the time, you're a downright bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/i-ve-met-you-many-times-lucinda-and-most-of-the-time-you-re-a/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [War? War is an organized bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/war-war-is-an-organized-bore/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Bore children, and they stop reading. There's no room for self-indulgence or showing off or setting the scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/bore-children-and-they-stop-reading-there-s-no-room-for-self/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [We all denounce bores, but while we do so, let us remember that there is nobody who isn't a bore to somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-spender/we-all-denounce-bores-but-while-we-do-so-let-us-remember-that-there/) [J. A. Spender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-spender/) > [Bore : A fellow who can change the subject back to his topic of conversation faster than you can change it back to yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/bore-a-fellow-who-can-change-the-subject-back-to-his-topic-of/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [The way to be a bore is to say everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-way-to-be-a-bore-is-to-say-everything/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [A bore is someone who takes away my solitude and doesn't give me companionship in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-bore-is-someone-who-takes-away-my-solitude-and-doesn-t-give-me/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It's a bore - B-O-R-E - when you find you've begun to rot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/it-s-a-bore-b-o-r-e-when-you-find-you-ve-begun-to-rot/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) ## More by John Cheever > [Only the opium eater truly understands the pain of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/only-the-opium-eater-truly-understands-the-pain-of-death/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [The poet or storyteller who feels that he is competing with a superb double play in the World Series is a lost man. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/the-poet-or-storyteller-who-feels-that-he-is-competing-with-a-superb/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“She perceived vaguely the pitiful corruption of the adult world; how cruel and frail it was, like a worn piece of burlap, patched with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/she-perceived-vaguely-the-pitiful-corruption-of-the-adult-world-how/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [For lovers, touch is metamorphosis. All the parts of their bodies seem to change, and they seem to become something different and better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/for-lovers-touch-is-metamorphosis-all-the-parts-of-their-bodies-seem/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“I dream that someone in space says to me: So let us rush, then, to see the world. It is shaped like an egg,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-dream-that-someone-in-space-says-to-me-so-let-us-rush-then-to-see/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I don't like to see all my energies, all of my youth, wasted in fur coats and radios and slipcovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-don-t-like-to-see-all-my-energies-all-of-my-youth-wasted-in-fur/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Literature has been the salvation of the damned, literature has inspired and guided lovers, routed despair and can perhaps in this case save the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/literature-has-been-the-salvation-of-the-damned-literature-has/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [At my back I hear the word-"homosexual"-and it seems to split my world in two… It is ignorance, our ignorance of one another, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/at-my-back-i-hear-the-word-homosexual-and-it-seems-to-split-my-world/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [One would never have guessed that the world had such a capacity for genuine grief. The most we can do is exploit our memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/one-would-never-have-guessed-that-the-world-had-such-a-capacity-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“His stepmother -wearing a nightgown for comfort and a flowered hat for looks- had spent her days sitting in their parlor window in Baltimore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/his-stepmother-wearing-a-nightgown-for-comfort-and-a-flowered-hat-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Fear tastes like a rusty knife and do not let her into your house. Courage tastes of blood. Stand up straight. Admire the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/fear-tastes-like-a-rusty-knife-and-do-not-let-her-into-your-house/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I dream that my face appears on a postage stamp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-dream-that-my-face-appears-on-a-postage-stamp/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/wisdom-is-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-not-the-strength-to-choose/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“There was some faint coughing, a moan, and then a man spoke. "Are you all right, darling?" he asked. "Yes," a woman said wearily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/there-was-some-faint-coughing-a-moan-and-then-a-man-spoke-are-you-all/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, "I drank too much last night." You might have heard it whispered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/it-was-one-of-those-midsummer-sundays-when-everyone-sits-around/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) [Explore all 132 John Cheever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) ## More Bore quotes > [It's a bore - B-O-R-E - when you find you've begun to rot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/it-s-a-bore-b-o-r-e-when-you-find-you-ve-begun-to-rot/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [He was not only a bore; he bored for England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/he-was-not-only-a-bore-he-bored-for-england/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [A bore is someone who takes away my solitude and doesn't give me companionship in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-bore-is-someone-who-takes-away-my-solitude-and-doesn-t-give-me/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The way to be a bore is to say everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-way-to-be-a-bore-is-to-say-everything/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“We all bore scars, whether on the outside or in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/we-all-bore-scars-whether-on-the-outside-or-in/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [Bore : A fellow who can change the subject back to his topic of conversation faster than you can change it back to yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/bore-a-fellow-who-can-change-the-subject-back-to-his-topic-of/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [One of the advantages of appearing in such a play is that you begin to understand it properly, I feel Ophelia's tragedy was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalla-ward/one-of-the-advantages-of-appearing-in-such-a-play-is-that-you-begin/) [Lalla Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalla-ward/) > [Characters develop as the book progresses, but any that start to bore me end up in the wastepaper basket. In real life, we may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-graham/characters-develop-as-the-book-progresses-but-any-that-start-to-bore/) [Laurie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-graham/) > [We all denounce bores, but while we do so, let us remember that there is nobody who isn't a bore to somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-spender/we-all-denounce-bores-but-while-we-do-so-let-us-remember-that-there/) [J. A. Spender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-spender/) > [“The young will never know how recklessly we went from bed to bed, from body to body, from night to night. it all, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-young-will-never-know-how-recklessly-we-went-from-bed-to-bed-from/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [He is an old bore. Even the grave yawns for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-beerbohm-tree/he-is-an-old-bore-even-the-grave-yawns-for-him/) [Herbert Beerbohm Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-beerbohm-tree/) > [People like Ian McEwan and Jonathan Franzen completely bore me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/people-like-ian-mcewan-and-jonathan-franzen-completely-bore-me/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/bore-a-person-who-talks-when-you-wish-him-to-listen/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Be bold, don't be boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/be-bold-don-t-be-boring/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) Browse all 169 Bore quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't expect to communicate with anyone if you're a bore.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cheever" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-anyone-if-you-re-a-bore/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bore" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-anyone-if-you-re-a-bore/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/john-cheever-3301_bores_you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-any_1313402.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/john-cheever-3301_bores_you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-any_1313402.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/john-cheever-3301_bores_you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-any_1313402.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't expect to communicate with anyone if you're a bore.” — John Cheever", "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": "John Cheever", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't expect to communicate with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-anyone-if-you-re-a-bore/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/you-can-t-expect-to-communicate-with-anyone-if-you-re-a-bore/#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 } } ] } ```