---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words are not the only way we…"
description: "\"“Words are not the only way we communicate, you and I. They never were.”\" — Meredith Duran"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/meredith-duran-2968_communication_words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicat_1514420.jpg"
---

#  Words are not the only way we communicate, you and I. They…

![“Words are not the only way we communicate, you and I. They never were.” quote by Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/meredith-duran-2968_communication_words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicat_1514420.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/meredith-duran-2968_communication_words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicat_1514420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/meredith-duran-2968_communication_words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicat_1514420.jpg)

> ““Words are not the only way we communicate, you and I. They never were.””

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

## About This Quote

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

Communication transcends spoken words; silence and presence convey meaning beyond language.

**In simple terms:** We communicate without words.

Key Takeaway

Listen with presence, not just ears.

Themes

communication silence presence

Mood

reflective intimate

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- Therapy sessions
- conflict resolution
- intimate relationships
- public speaking

Key Concepts

Nonverbal cues existentialism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you felt understood without words?
- What role does silence play in your relationships?

A Different Perspective

Relying solely on silence can cause misunderstanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/)

## Related quotes

> [“When he entered after her, she saw that he meant to come straight to her, and she raised a hand. "No," she said. "Wait."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/when-he-entered-after-her-she-saw-that-he-meant-to-come-straight-to/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Yours if you want it." - Julian to Emma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/yours-if-you-want-it-julian-to-emma/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“After a long moment, the Countess sat back down. "So," she said. "You … do love her. I must say, you look peculiarly resigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/after-a-long-moment-the-countess-sat-back-down-so-she-said-you-do/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Canada is lovely," she breathed against his lips. "And you are lovely." His laughter ghosted into her mouth. "That's my line, Lyd. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/canada-is-lovely-she-breathed-against-his-lips-and-you-are-lovely-his/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“His hand still rested on her breast, but his fingers had stilled. The touch that had been so agitating now felt comforting. As though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/his-hand-still-rested-on-her-breast-but-his-fingers-had-stilled-the/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“It means that you are my freedom, love." "Yes," she whispered. That was it exactly. "And you are mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/it-means-that-you-are-my-freedom-love-yes-she-whispered-that-was-it/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [We mustn't be traditional in the way we communicate with people - especially with the Establishment. We should surprise people by saying new things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/we-mustn-t-be-traditional-in-the-way-we-communicate-with-people/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [“The idea that the best way to communicate with people is 24/7 is not really an idea about maximizing productivity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/the-idea-that-the-best-way-to-communicate-with-people-is-24-7-is-not/)

[Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/)

> [I'm not a robot. But the way I communicate means I polarise people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-barton/i-m-not-a-robot-but-the-way-i-communicate-means-i-polarise-people/)

[Joey Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-barton/)

> [Comments are my main way to communicate with you bros.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pewdiepie/comments-are-my-main-way-to-communicate-with-you-bros/)

PewDiePie

> [The way I communicate is exactly the way in speech and amongst friends as it is in music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/the-way-i-communicate-is-exactly-the-way-in-speech-and-amongst/)

[CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/)

> [“Emma swallowed. She was remembering Julian, two years ago, standing in the overlapping circles of fire where the parabatai ritual was performed. The look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/emma-swallowed-she-was-remembering-julian-two-years-ago-standing-in/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“Yeah,” he said, eyelashes lowering as his gaze traced the movement of her fingers. “It hurt me being away from you. It feels like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/yeah-he-said-eyelashes-lowering-as-his-gaze-traced-the-movement-of/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [It's funny because I've made a living off of words, but words get in the way of what you really want to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/it-s-funny-because-i-ve-made-a-living-off-of-words-but-words-get-in/)

[Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/)

> [Maps were so much easier than words. Words had a way of getting muddled, or meaning two things at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-howarth/maps-were-so-much-easier-than-words-words-had-a-way-of-getting/)

[Lesley Howarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-howarth/)

## More by Meredith Duran

> [“No, thank you. I prefer my liquor cold.' 'Right. Or in a pipe, I suppose.' Phin's brow lifted. 'What a clumsy way to drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/no-thank-you-i-prefer-my-liquor-cold-right-or-in-a-pipe-i-suppose/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Miss Masters was not content with threatening to hire away his staff, oh no. First, she had to perfume it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/miss-masters-was-not-content-with-threatening-to-hire-away-his-staff/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Her face turned to the window, and he saw her swallow. She was not as calm as she appeared, but for some reason, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/her-face-turned-to-the-window-and-he-saw-her-swallow-she-was-not-as/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“the kiss he gave her when he pulled her head down was slow and deep, a leisurely address that reached into her like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-kiss-he-gave-her-when-he-pulled-her-head-down-was-slow-and-deep-a/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“She had told the truth: she did not like to dance. Men assumed that a spinster wanted for excitement. Dried-up. They made a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/she-had-told-the-truth-she-did-not-like-to-dance-men-assumed-that-a/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Yours if you want it." - Julian to Emma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/yours-if-you-want-it-julian-to-emma/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Here was a new lesson for her, then: it was possible to behave like an utter goose in front of a man, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-was-possible-to-behave-like-an/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“She wished he could make her somehow indelibly his; that they were still children so they could cut their fingers and mingle their blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/she-wished-he-could-make-her-somehow-indelibly-his-that-they-were/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Fear cripples our minds and breeds delusions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/fear-cripples-our-minds-and-breeds-delusions/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Surely this is what death would be like: nothingness, oblivion, as the world continued to turn, heedless of her absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/surely-this-is-what-death-would-be-like-nothingness-oblivion-as-the/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“The cat's tail was straying into her face again; she was forced to expel air in a most unbecoming fashion to avoid a mouthful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-cat-s-tail-was-straying-into-her-face-again-she-was-forced-to/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Speak plainly, sir.' '\*Sir\*? I say, Lyd. Are you always so formal with men you've made love with?' The whip of her head caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/speak-plainly-sir-sir-i-say-lyd-are-you-always-so-formal-with-men-you/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“The flesh was weak, but it was not dumb. It had its own animal intelligence. In her husband's bed her body had felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-flesh-was-weak-but-it-was-not-dumb-it-had-its-own-animal/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“After a long moment, the Countess sat back down. "So," she said. "You … do love her. I must say, you look peculiarly resigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/after-a-long-moment-the-countess-sat-back-down-so-she-said-you-do/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“His arms banded about her so tightly that she felt nothing could break his hold. It calmed something in her that had been trembling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/his-arms-banded-about-her-so-tightly-that-she-felt-nothing-could/)

[meredith duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

[Explore all 143 Meredith Duran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

## More Communicate quotes

> [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/)

[Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/)

> [Even people who can't communicate can fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaejoong/even-people-who-can-t-communicate-can-fall-in-love/)

[Jaejoong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaejoong/)

> [Our communications reflect in our countenance. Therefore, we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lionel-kendrick/our-communications-reflect-in-our-countenance-therefore-we-must-be/)

[L. Lionel Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lionel-kendrick/)

> [Always being on the move has strange consequences. I meet so many amazing people, for a night, or sometimes just a few days. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-claus/always-being-on-the-move-has-strange-consequences-i-meet-so-many/)

[Gaspar Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-claus/)

> [“Even without words, you communicate through touch, body language, and facial expression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmel-sheridan/even-without-words-you-communicate-through-touch-body-language-and/)

[Carmel Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmel-sheridan/)

> [I could say that making clothes is my way of communicating, because I was always so shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-gaultier/i-could-say-that-making-clothes-is-my-way-of-communicating-because-i/)

[Jean Paul Gaultier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-gaultier/)

> [I think there's confusion around what the point of social networks is. A lot of different companies characterized as social networks have different goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-think-there-s-confusion-around-what-the-point-of-social-networks-is/)

[Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/)

> [Language just gradually came in, one or two stressed words a time. Before then, I would just scream. I couldn't talk. I couldn't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/language-just-gradually-came-in-one-or-two-stressed-words-a-time/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [Had Elijah Muhammad tried to introduce an orthodox form of Arab-oriented Islam, I doubt if he would have attracted 500 people, but he introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/had-elijah-muhammad-tried-to-introduce-an-orthodox-form-of-arab/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [Must whales and dolphins be subjected to deafening noise that will cause more than 3.5 million instances of temporary and/or permanent hearing loss? For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/must-whales-and-dolphins-be-subjected-to-deafening-noise-that-will/)

[Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/)

> [My wish for humanity is to invent a way to communicate between us and whatever comes next. And in the end that we the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/my-wish-for-humanity-is-to-invent-a-way-to-communicate-between-us-and/)

[Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/)

> [Having people around you that are honest with you, and having a team around you that can actually track and communicate where things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muneshine/having-people-around-you-that-are-honest-with-you-and-having-a-team/)

[Muneshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muneshine/)

> [The most important thing for a director is being able to communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/the-most-important-thing-for-a-director-is-being-able-to-communicate/)

[Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/)

> [Sourav's greatest asset is his ability to communicate. He is a naturally very confident person. He encourages his team, is a great motivator and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/sourav-s-greatest-asset-is-his-ability-to-communicate-he-is-a/)

[Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/)

Browse all 2,325 Communicate quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Words are not the only way we communicate, you and I. They never were.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Meredith Duran"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicate-you-and-i-they-never-were/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communicate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicate-you-and-i-they-never-were/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/meredith-duran-2968_communication_words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicat_1514420.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/meredith-duran-2968_communication_words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicat_1514420.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/meredith-duran-2968_communication_words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicat_1514420.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Words are not the only way we communicate, you and I. They never were.” — Meredith Duran",
                "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": "Meredith Duran",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Words are not the only way...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicate-you-and-i-they-never-were/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/words-are-not-the-only-way-we-communicate-you-and-i-they-never-were/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
