---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/…"
description: "\"“When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/ Listen.”\" — John Northcutt Young"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/john-northcutt-young-53113_communication_when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-lis_2396861.jpg"
---

#  When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/ Listen.

![“When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/ Listen.” quote by John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/john-northcutt-young-53113_communication_when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-lis_2396861.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/john-northcutt-young-53113_communication_when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-lis_2396861.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/john-northcutt-young-53113_communication_when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-lis_2396861.jpg)

> ““When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/ Listen.””

[John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

## About This Quote

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

When unsure what to say, offer listening as a response.

**In simple terms:** Listen when speechless.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize listening over speaking.

Themes

communication empathy silence

Mood

calm supportive

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- relationship building
- supportive dialogue

Key Concepts

active listening vulnerability

Questions to Reflect On

- When is listening insufficient?
- How can silence become a tool?

A Different Perspective

Listening may not solve all problems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Don Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-know/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-say/) [Let Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-listen-720288/) [Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen/) [Poetry quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-quotes/)

## Related quotes

> [He who has ears for hearing, let him listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-of-nursia/he-who-has-ears-for-hearing-let-him-listen/)

[Benedict of Nursia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-of-nursia/)

> [I don't know how to say no, and that's a weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-charan/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-no-and-that-s-a-weakness/)

[Ram Charan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-charan/)

> [Remember that song that you let me listen to last time, well even though I didnt like it that much, because of you now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/remember-that-song-that-you-let-me-listen-to-last-time-well-even/)

[Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/)

> [“Let us not remain anchored in the quicksand of a waning past, and lose the war on obliviousness, but let us listen to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-remain-anchored-in-the-quicksand-of-a-waning-past-and-lose/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [Who can assure us that we will be alive tomorrow? Let us listen to the voice of our conscience, to the voice of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/who-can-assure-us-that-we-will-be-alive-tomorrow-let-us-listen-to-the/)

[Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/)

> [Let us listen to what all the faithful say, because in every one of them the Spirit of God breathes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulinus-of-nola/let-us-listen-to-what-all-the-faithful-say-because-in-every-one-of/)

[Paulinus of Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulinus-of-nola/)

> [Working out gives me the opportunity to let go and listen to my music; it's a big stress reliever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-heatherton/working-out-gives-me-the-opportunity-to-let-go-and-listen-to-my-music/)

[Erin Heatherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-heatherton/)

> [Let me listen to me and not to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/let-me-listen-to-me-and-not-to-them/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [“Let us listen to the needs of our inner child that is being tamed and imprisoned by the rules of a grown-up world. ("Going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-listen-to-the-needs-of-our-inner-child-that-is-being-tamed-and/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [“Let us look at the things we don’t see, let us listen to the echo of the sound behind the clamor and discern the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-look-at-the-things-we-don-t-see-let-us-listen-to-the-echo-of/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoka/let-all-listen-and-be-willing-to-listen-to-the-doctrines-professed-by/)

[Ashoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoka/)

> [Your life is a stage and you are the poet so pour your heart out, let them listen and be heard. Let the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-matongo/your-life-is-a-stage-and-you-are-the-poet-so-pour-your-heart-out-let/)

[Pamela Matongo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-matongo/)

> [Let's listen to different people. Let's get different people focusing, putting their mind to it, and coming out with the best ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/let-s-listen-to-different-people-let-s-get-different-people-focusing/)

[Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/)

> [I don't get anywhere meditating," she said. "I see people sitting there with their eyes closed, a smile on their lips or else grave-faced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-don-t-get-anywhere-meditating-she-said-i-see-people-sitting-there/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“As people like sharing pieces of their history, let us listen to how they speak, what they say, but precisely what they “mean.” By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/as-people-like-sharing-pieces-of-their-history-let-us-listen-to-how/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

## More by John Northcutt Young

> [“Drank red wine with fish if he wanted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/drank-red-wine-with-fish-if-he-wanted/)

[John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

> [“The only way to know life is living it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/the-only-way-to-know-life-is-living-it/)

[John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

> [“I’ll be like Esther. Your daughter.” “You ain’t that strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/i-ll-be-like-esther-your-daughter-you-ain-t-that-strong/)

[John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

> [“I don’t care if the streets of Heaven are gold or not as long as they’re clean and I don’t have to sweep them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/i-don-t-care-if-the-streets-of-heaven-are-gold-or-not-as-long-as-they/)

[John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

> [“But sometimes the scars go too deep and the stories are too personal to share.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/but-sometimes-the-scars-go-too-deep-and-the-stories-are-too-personal/)

[John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

> [“It’s a shame watching life shrivel up into nothing. Makes you remember to appreciate what you’ve got. Anybody can tell you Ed started breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/it-s-a-shame-watching-life-shrivel-up-into-nothing-makes-you-remember/)

[John Northcutt Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

[Explore all 7 John Northcutt Young quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/)

## 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": "“When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/ Listen.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Northcutt Young"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-listen/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-listen/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/john-northcutt-young-53113_communication_when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-lis_2396861.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/john-northcutt-young-53113_communication_when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-lis_2396861.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/john-northcutt-young-53113_communication_when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-lis_2396861.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/ Listen.” — John Northcutt Young",
                "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 Northcutt Young",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-northcutt-young/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When I/Don’t know/What to say,/Let me/...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-listen/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-northcutt-young/when-i-don-t-know-what-to-say-let-me-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
