--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There may be an art to conversation, and…" description: "\"There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people, witho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/lynne-tillman-5609_aids_there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and_57460.jpg" --- # There may be an art to conversation, and some are better… ![“There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people, without a plan, could speak a spontaneous, unexpected truth, because revelation rules. Telling words recur in this smart, generous conversation between…” quote by Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/lynne-tillman-5609_aids_there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and_57460.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/lynne-tillman-5609_aids_there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and_57460.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/lynne-tillman-5609_aids_there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and_57460.jpg) > “There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people, without a plan, could speak a spontaneous, unexpected truth, because revelation rules. Telling words recur in this smart, generous conversation between Stephen Andrews and Gregg Bordowitz: patience, responsibility, feminism, ethics, cosmology, AIDS, gift, freedom, mortality.” [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conversation thrives on unplanned, spontaneous exchanges that can reveal unexpected truths, making randomness a source of insight and connection. **In simple terms:** Randomness fuels meaningful dialogue. Key Takeaway Embrace unpredictability in talk. Themes communication truth spontaneity ethics feminism cosmology Mood thoughtful introspective hopeful Type philosophical observational dialogic When to use this quote - intimate discussions - academic debates - activist meetings - therapy sessions - creative brainstorming Key Concepts dialogue revelation responsibility freedom Practical Applications - facilitate open forums - design improvisational workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does unpredictability enhance authenticity? - What role does patience play in deep conversations? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Cosmology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmology/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortality/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Randomness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/randomness/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [The art of conversation, or the qualification for a good companion, is a certain self-control, which now holds the subject, now lets it go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-art-of-conversation-or-the-qualification-for-a-good-companion-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [That amenity which the French have developed into a great art . . . conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-otis-skinner/that-amenity-which-the-french-have-developed-into-a-great-art/) [Cornelia Otis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-otis-skinner/) > [“(Query: Is it possible to cultivate the art of conversation when living in the country all the year round?)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-delafield-2/query-is-it-possible-to-cultivate-the-art-of-conversation-when-living/) [E.M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield-2/) > [I think a lot of people are involved in art because of the fashion of art and the conversation. It gives them a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-graff/i-think-a-lot-of-people-are-involved-in-art-because-of-the-fashion-of/) [Laurence Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-graff/) > [I'm a talker, and the art of the conversation is something I really value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robby-hoffman/i-m-a-talker-and-the-art-of-the-conversation-is-something-i-really/) [Robby Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robby-hoffman/) > [Art history is fine. I mean, that's a discipline. Art history is art history, and you start from the beginning and you end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-weiner/art-history-is-fine-i-mean-that-s-a-discipline-art-history-is-art/) [Lawrence Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-weiner/) > [The art of conversation lies in listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/the-art-of-conversation-lies-in-listening/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Silence is one great art of conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/silence-is-one-great-art-of-conversation/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Everything is inspiring! It could be fine art or a conversation I have with somebody!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromi/everything-is-inspiring-it-could-be-fine-art-or-a-conversation-i-have/) [Hiromi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromi/) > [“If you should attempt to maintain that film is an art in conversation with a cultured, intelligent American, he'll just plain stop talking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-ilf/if-you-should-attempt-to-maintain-that-film-is-an-art-in-conversation/) [Ilya Ilf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-ilf/) > [She had lost the art of conversation but not, unfortunately, the power of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/she-had-lost-the-art-of-conversation-but-not-unfortunately-the-power/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Art is a conversation we are all invited to and are all worthy to participate in. Yes, great works can be intimidating, but no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/art-is-a-conversation-we-are-all-invited-to-and-are-all-worthy-to/) [Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/) > [“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but, far more difficult still, to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nevill/the-real-art-of-conversation-is-not-only-to-say-the-right-thing-in/) [Dorothy Nevill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nevill/) > [We could not, for example, arrive at a principle like that of entropy without introducing some additional principle, such as randomness, to this topography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/we-could-not-for-example-arrive-at-a-principle-like-that-of-entropy/) [Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/) > [“There is no randomness about your life. Here and Now comprise the coordinates of your daily life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-young/there-is-no-randomness-about-your-life-here-and-now-comprise-the/) [Sarah Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-young/) ## More by Lynne Tillman > [I'd studied English literature and American history, but the English literature, which I thought was going to be helpful to me in an immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-d-studied-english-literature-and-american-history-but-the-english/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Laughing and crying are very similar. Sometimes people go from laughing to crying, or crying to laughing. 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Again, whether it's nonfiction or fiction, I think writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-bothered-as-a-reader-when-i-feel-the-writer-is-filling-in-too/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It wasn't that I wanted to be an artist. But when I took my first drawing class with the painter Doug Ohlson, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-wasn-t-that-i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-but-when-i-took-my-first/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all. I'm interested in the ways that I think people want to relate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all-i/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It's true you have to screen out a lot living in the city. 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