--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have the capacity for about 1.6 human…" description: "\"We have the capacity for about 1.6 human conversations, so if you're listening to one conversation particularly, you're only left with 0.6 for your inn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/julian-treasure-8346_communication_we-have-the-capacity-for-about-1-6-human_12988.jpg" --- # We have the capacity for about 1.6 human conversations, so… ![“We have the capacity for about 1.6 human conversations, so if you're listening to one conversation particularly, you're only left with 0.6 for your inner voice that helps you write.” quote by Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/julian-treasure-8346_communication_we-have-the-capacity-for-about-1-6-human_12988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/julian-treasure-8346_communication_we-have-the-capacity-for-about-1-6-human_12988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/julian-treasure-8346_communication_we-have-the-capacity-for-about-1-6-human_12988.jpg) > “We have the capacity for about 1.6 human conversations, so if you're listening to one conversation particularly, you're only left with 0.6 for your inner voice that helps you write.” [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our mental bandwidth is limited; focusing on external dialogue reduces the internal narrative that fuels creative writing. **In simple terms:** Limited mental bandwidth Key Takeaway Focus drains inner voice Themes cognition attention creativity communication Mood reflective thoughtful Type observation insight When to use this quote - writing - listening to conversations - multitasking Key Concepts mental capacity inner voice Practical Applications - improve focus techniques - schedule quiet time Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance listening and writing? - What strategies restore your inner voice after conversation? A Different Perspective Some people thrive on external input to spark ideas, suggesting inner voice can be replenished rather than depleted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Inner voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-voice/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [An organsation's results are determined through webs of human commitments, born in webs of human conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/an-organsation-s-results-are-determined-through-webs-of-human/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Overheard today in restaurant: Can you stop listening to our conversation?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/overheard-today-in-restaurant-can-you-stop-listening-to-our/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [One of the greatest experiences I ever had was listening to a conversation with Joni Mitchell and Wayne Shorter. Just to hear them talking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/one-of-the-greatest-experiences-i-ever-had-was-listening-to-a/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [Listening to a conversation & screaming all the funny things you'd say in your head...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/listening-to-a-conversation-screaming-all-the-funny-things-you-d-say/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am afraid that you have been listening to the conversation of someone older than yourself. That is always a dangerous thing to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-am-afraid-that-you-have-been-listening-to-the-conversation-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“You should speak about another, as though they were listening to your conversation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-j-forde-2/you-should-speak-about-another-as-though-they-were-listening-to-your/) [Charmaine J. Forde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-j-forde-2/) > [What constrains or enables the capacity of human beings to work in groups is not so much the technology, but rather the capacity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-christakis/what-constrains-or-enables-the-capacity-of-human-beings-to-work-in/) [Nicholas A. Christakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-christakis/) > [No man can exactly calculate the capacity of human genius and stupidity, nor the incapacity of will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/no-man-can-exactly-calculate-the-capacity-of-human-genius-and/) [B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-capacity-of-human-beings-to-bore-one-another-seems-to-be-vastly/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Some innate capacity - some part of the human genetic endowment - enters into language acquisition. That much is uncontroversial among those who believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/some-innate-capacity-some-part-of-the-human-genetic-endowment-enters/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I feel like human beings can't help but destroy, but if our numbers are small we don't destroy as much as we do when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-holbrook-pierson/i-feel-like-human-beings-can-t-help-but-destroy-but-if-our-numbers/) [Melissa Holbrook Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-holbrook-pierson/) > [Capacity of human societies both to absorb and to discard cultures is much underestimated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/capacity-of-human-societies-both-to-absorb-and-to-discard-cultures-is/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [Never underestimate the capacity of another human being to have exactly the same shortcomings you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-steinberg/never-underestimate-the-capacity-of-another-human-being-to-have/) [Leigh Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-steinberg/) > [Don't ever underestimate the capacity of a human being who is determined to do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-adan-ismail/don-t-ever-underestimate-the-capacity-of-a-human-being-who-is/) Edna Adan Ismail > [The capacity of the human mind for swallowing nonsense and spewing it forth in violent and repressive action has never yet been plumbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-capacity-of-the-human-mind-for-swallowing-nonsense-and-spewing-it/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Julian Treasure > [People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years, they have learnt when the birds sing, they are safe; it's when birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/people-find-birdsong-relaxing-and-reassuring-because-over-thousands/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [In the U.K., architects train for five years, and they spend one day on sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/in-the-u-k-architects-train-for-five-years-and-they-spend-one-day-on/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [You or I never buy an Intel product explicitly, and yet their sonic logo is far better known and more powerful than its visual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/you-or-i-never-buy-an-intel-product-explicitly-and-yet-their-sonic/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [If you're surrounded by noise all the time, it has a pretty bad effect on the spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/if-you-re-surrounded-by-noise-all-the-time-it-has-a-pretty-bad-effect/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [The need to be right can arise from a fear of being disrespected. Or it may come out of the fear of being seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/the-need-to-be-right-can-arise-from-a-fear-of-being-disrespected-or/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [People often mistake our mission at The Sound Agency for a crusade for silence, but actually, silence is in many ways just as bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/people-often-mistake-our-mission-at-the-sound-agency-for-a-crusade/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [I would suggest that our listening is the main way that we experience the flow of time from past to future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/i-would-suggest-that-our-listening-is-the-main-way-that-we-experience/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [In a room full of 60 to 70 people which is open plan and absolutely quiet, it's very intimidating to make a phone call.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/in-a-room-full-of-60-to-70-people-which-is-open-plan-and-absolutely/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [When you hear a child's voice, it will have that immediate effect of putting you in mind of looking after children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/when-you-hear-a-child-s-voice-it-will-have-that-immediate-effect-of/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [My mother, in the last years of her life, became very negative, and it's hard to listen. I remember one day, I said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/my-mother-in-the-last-years-of-her-life-became-very-negative-and-it-s/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [A sonic logo on its own isn't going to do very much. We get frustrated with smaller brands who come to us and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/a-sonic-logo-on-its-own-isn-t-going-to-do-very-much-we-get-frustrated/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [Men tend to listen in what I call a reductive way, which is to say for a point, for a solution. You know, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/men-tend-to-listen-in-what-i-call-a-reductive-way-which-is-to-say-for/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [I have visited a number of boutique hotels where you feel there is a little bit of self-indulgence going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/i-have-visited-a-number-of-boutique-hotels-where-you-feel-there-is-a/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [I think it's pretty pointless, my children learning to use a keyboard - we will just talk to our computers. Why would we not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/i-think-it-s-pretty-pointless-my-children-learning-to-use-a-keyboard/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [This devaluing of listening is handed down from generation to generation. There are many children who don't have the experience of being listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/this-devaluing-of-listening-is-handed-down-from-generation-to/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) [Explore all 81 Julian Treasure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) ## 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. 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