---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think I will do nothing for a long time…"
description: "\"“I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen.”\" — John Green"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/271/john-green-12_communication_i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-tim_2593998.jpg"
---

#  I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen.

![“I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/271/john-green-12_communication_i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-tim_2593998.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/271/john-green-12_communication_i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-tim_2593998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/271/john-green-12_communication_i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-tim_2593998.jpg)

> ““I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen.””

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## About This Quote

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

Listening actively, without immediate action, can deepen understanding and foster patience before deciding on a course.

**In simple terms:** Doing nothing but listening is valuable.

Key Takeaway

Practice active listening first.

Themes

patience mindfulness communication learning

Mood

contemplative thoughtful calm

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- relationships
- conflict resolution
- personal growth
- education

Key Concepts

active listening silence observation

Questions to Reflect On

- When is listening insufficient?
- How do you transition from listening to acting?

A Different Perspective

It may be misinterpreted as inaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Think Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-long/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-listen-328996/)

## Related quotes

> [“I see nothing. I do not move. It is an empty time, animal time, vigilant, I am submerged, under the earth and under time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-empty-time-animal-time-vigilant/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“But, you've heard enough. Now, it's time for you to listen. Go and find your songs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cantus-fraggle/but-you-ve-heard-enough-now-it-s-time-for-you-to-listen-go-and-find/)

[Cantus Fraggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cantus-fraggle/)

> [“It is amazing what God will tell you, if you only take the time to listen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-smith/it-is-amazing-what-god-will-tell-you-if-you-only-take-the-time-to/)

[Virginia Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-smith/)

> [“But no one is interested in the past. If they were smart, they would be, for the past tells us all we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-littlejohn/but-no-one-is-interested-in-the-past-if-they-were-smart-they-would-be/)

[Emily Littlejohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-littlejohn/)

> [If we all take the time to listen and love each other, this world would be a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-love/if-we-all-take-the-time-to-listen-and-love-each-other-this-world/)

[Mike Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-love/)

> [“Anyone who takes the time to listen is either an old soul or a romantic one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/anyone-who-takes-the-time-to-listen-is-either-an-old-soul-or-a/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [God has a time to listen. But, do you have a time to pray?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-a-time-to-listen-but-do-you-have-a-time-to-pray/)

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

> [listen to me as one listens to the rain, the years go by, the moments return, do you hear the footsteps in the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/listen-to-me-as-one-listens-to-the-rain-the-years-go-by-the-moments/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [“It's sort of my go-to stock image of my childhood, actually. I think it has something to do with knowing I'll never be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/it-s-sort-of-my-go-to-stock-image-of-my-childhood-actually-i-think-it/)

[Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/)

> [We must slow down to a human tempo and we’ll begin to have time to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-must-slow-down-to-a-human-tempo-and-we-ll-begin-to-have-time-to/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [I wish I had time to listen to music more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-wish-i-had-time-to-listen-to-music-more/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [“Today-Everyone want to tell their stories but nobody has time to listen others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-abidi-en/today-everyone-want-to-tell-their-stories-but-nobody-has-time-to/)

[Ali Abidi'en](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-abidi-en/)

> [When I have some time, I listen to opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/when-i-have-some-time-i-listen-to-opera/)

[Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/)

> [I can only listen to what I'm working on, at the time. I can't listen to anything else because I don't want to copy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/i-can-only-listen-to-what-i-m-working-on-at-the-time-i-can-t-listen/)

[Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/)

> [Well, I do listen to God for direction, but I really don't have time to listen to other artists all that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/well-i-do-listen-to-god-for-direction-but-i-really-don-t-have-time-to/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

## More by John Green

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-time-but-listen/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-time-but-listen/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/271/john-green-12_communication_i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-tim_2593998.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/271/john-green-12_communication_i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-tim_2593998.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/271/john-green-12_communication_i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-tim_2593998.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen.” — John Green",
                "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 Green",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I think I will do nothing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-time-but-listen/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-i-will-do-nothing-for-a-long-time-but-listen/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
