--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nonverbal communication forms a social…" description: "\"Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words.\" — Leonard Mlodinow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/leonard-mlodinow-7753_communication_nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-l_3024847.jpg" --- # Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in… ![“Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words.” quote by Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/leonard-mlodinow-7753_communication_nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-l_3024847.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/leonard-mlodinow-7753_communication_nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-l_3024847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/leonard-mlodinow-7753_communication_nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-l_3024847.jpg) > “Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words.” [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nonverbal cues convey rich social meaning beyond spoken language. **In simple terms:** Body language is a deep social language. Key Takeaway Pay attention to nonverbal signals for better communication. Themes communication nonverbal cues social dynamics Mood analytical insightful Type educational practical When to use this quote - online chats - multicultural interactions - remote work - public speaking Key Concepts psychology neuroscience social signaling Questions to Reflect On - How can you verify nonverbal meanings? - What habits improve your own nonverbal expression? A Different Perspective Nonverbal cues can be misinterpreted across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Nonverbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonverbal/) [Nonverbal Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonverbal-communication/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [Scientists attach great importance to the human capacity for spoken language. But we also have a parallel track of nonverbal communication, which may reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/scientists-attach-great-importance-to-the-human-capacity-for-spoken/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [One of the most surprising forms of nonverbal communication is the way we automatically adjust the amount of time we spend looking into another's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/one-of-the-most-surprising-forms-of-nonverbal-communication-is-the/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [The chimpanzees taught me a lot about nonverbal communication. The big difference between them and us is that they don't have spoken language. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-chimpanzees-taught-me-a-lot-about-nonverbal-communication-the-big/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Nonverbal communication is an elaborate secret code that is written nowhere, known by none, and understood by all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sapir/nonverbal-communication-is-an-elaborate-secret-code-that-is-written/) [Edward Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sapir/) > [“ BUT WHAT DO I SAY If you are most concerned about what to say when you first meet someone, you may be directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/but-what-do-i-say-if-you-are-most-concerned-about-what-to-say-when/) [Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/) > [“When it comes to leadership, silence is nonverbal communication. It communicates agreement and grants permission by saying, “What you’re doing is fine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/when-it-comes-to-leadership-silence-is-nonverbal-communication-it/) [John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/) > [“This is the magic of nonverbal communication. It allows us to pursue illicit agendas, even ones that require coordinating with other people, while minimizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-simler/this-is-the-magic-of-nonverbal-communication-it-allows-us-to-pursue/) [Kevin Simler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-simler/) > [I was analyzing the guys' nonverbal communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-davis/i-was-analyzing-the-guys-nonverbal-communication/) Glen Davis > [“Another fascinating example of esoteric knowledge adopted by the informed to communicate secretly was the use of sign language for the deaf. Unknown to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-blech/another-fascinating-example-of-esoteric-knowledge-adopted-by-the/) [Benjamin Blech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-blech/) > [When you're around somebody for a long period of time, they know you and you know them. So, there's a lot of nonverbal communication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-wagner/when-you-re-around-somebody-for-a-long-period-of-time-they-know-you/) [Bobby Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-wagner/) > [“Did you get the cup?" I held it up. "Is it the right one?" she said. I am not good at nonverbal communication, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/did-you-get-the-cup-i-held-it-up-is-it-the-right-one-she-said-i-am/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [“The fall of humanity was the fall from the actual to the symbolic. Language abstracts us from the real world; keeping us from direct,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-vigorito/the-fall-of-humanity-was-the-fall-from-the-actual-to-the-symbolic/) [Tony Vigorito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-vigorito/) > [The basic agreement between human beings, indeed what makes them human and makes them social, is language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-wittig/the-basic-agreement-between-human-beings-indeed-what-makes-them-human/) [Monique Wittig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-wittig/) > [We routinely participate in elaborate nonverbal exchanges even when we are not consciously aware of doing so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-routinely-participate-in-elaborate-nonverbal-exchanges-even-when/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“And the transformation in our social world, in terms of technology-based communication rather than face-to-face conversation, is huge. In texts, tweets, and e-mails we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-dekoven-fishbane/and-the-transformation-in-our-social-world-in-terms-of-technology/) Mona Dekoven Fishbane ## More by Leonard Mlodinow > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [I always liked movies, so I started writing for Hollywood, but my day job was physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/i-always-liked-movies-so-i-started-writing-for-hollywood-but-my-day/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“At the University of Bologna, there was another bizarre twist on what is the norm today: students fined their professors for unexcused absence or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/at-the-university-of-bologna-there-was-another-bizarre-twist-on-what/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“The first step in battling the illusion of control is to be aware of if. But even then it is difficult, once we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/the-first-step-in-battling-the-illusion-of-control-is-to-be-aware-of/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Social connection is such a basic feature of human experience that when we are deprived of it, we suffer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/social-connection-is-such-a-basic-feature-of-human-experience-that/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [You have to have passion for a subject to write about it. You can't expect your readers to feel any excitement if it's nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/you-have-to-have-passion-for-a-subject-to-write-about-it-you-can-t/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [We routinely participate in elaborate nonverbal exchanges even when we are not consciously aware of doing so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-routinely-participate-in-elaborate-nonverbal-exchanges-even-when/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Touch seems to be such an important tool for enhancing social cooperation and affiliation that we have evolved a special physical route along which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/touch-seems-to-be-such-an-important-tool-for-enhancing-social/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“In fact, when some wedding guest inevitably complains about the seating arrangements, you might point out how long it would have taken you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/in-fact-when-some-wedding-guest-inevitably-complains-about-the/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, writing takes me to another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/whether-it-s-fiction-or-nonfiction-writing-takes-me-to-another-world/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Says Bargh: "We all hold dear idea that we´re the captain of our own sould, and we´re in charge, and it´s a very scary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/says-bargh-we-all-hold-dear-idea-that-we-re-the-captain-of-our-own/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [My best subjects were chemistry and math.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/my-best-subjects-were-chemistry-and-math/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [We should keep in mind that it is easy to concoct stories explaining the past or to become confident about dubious scenarios of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-should-keep-in-mind-that-it-is-easy-to-concoct-stories-explaining/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Subliminal is about how we misinterpret our behavior because were unaware of what our unconscious minds are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/subliminal-is-about-how-we-misinterpret-our-behavior-because-were/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [I've always loved science, as far back as I can remember. I was very, very curious about how everything worked: the world, the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/i-ve-always-loved-science-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-was-very/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Explore all 88 Leonard Mlodinow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) ## 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 > [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": "Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Mlodinow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-language-that-is-in-many-ways/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-language-that-is-in-many-ways/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/leonard-mlodinow-7753_communication_nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-l_3024847.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/leonard-mlodinow-7753_communication_nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-l_3024847.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/leonard-mlodinow-7753_communication_nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-l_3024847.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our…” — Leonard Mlodinow", "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": "Leonard Mlodinow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nonverbal communication forms a social language...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-language-that-is-in-many-ways/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/nonverbal-communication-forms-a-social-language-that-is-in-many-ways/#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 } } ] } ```