--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You cannot talk when you first arrive. It…" description: "\"“You cannot talk when you first arrive. It helps you to listen.”\" — Mitch Albom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mitch-albom-187_arrive_you-cannot-talk-when-you-first-arrive-it_2274684.png" --- # You cannot talk when you first arrive. It helps you to… ![“You cannot talk when you first arrive. It helps you to listen.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mitch-albom-187_arrive_you-cannot-talk-when-you-first-arrive-it_2274684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mitch-albom-187_arrive_you-cannot-talk-when-you-first-arrive-it_2274684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mitch-albom-187_arrive_you-cannot-talk-when-you-first-arrive-it_2274684.png) > ““You cannot talk when you first arrive. It helps you to listen.”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates listening before speaking when first arriving somewhere. **In simple terms:** Listen first, speak later upon arrival. Key Takeaway Practice active listening in new settings. Themes communication humility learning Mood thoughtful patient Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - first days at work - new social groups - travel - networking Key Concepts mindful presence social etiquette Questions to Reflect On - How does listening first change outcomes? - When is it okay to speak immediately? A Different Perspective May delay necessary input. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ## Related quotes > [Your voice will come. We all go through the same thing. You cannot talk when you first arrive." He smiled. "It helps you listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/your-voice-will-come-we-all-go-through-the-same-thing-you-cannot-talk/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I like to arrive in the box often and I don't care if I'm there as a no. 9 or a no. 10.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/i-like-to-arrive-in-the-box-often-and-i-don-t-care-if-i-m-there-as-a/) [Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/) > [Cinema is made to film material: the body. By filming the material, the mechanical, the worker, we arrive at the spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/cinema-is-made-to-film-material-the-body-by-filming-the-material-the/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) > [“No, how can one preserve one's life and at the same time arrive at the truth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solschenizyn/no-how-can-one-preserve-one-s-life-and-at-the-same-time-arrive-at-the/) [Alexander Solschenizyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solschenizyn/) > [When you arrive where you thought you wanted to be, you'll just begin a new journey so enjoy each step along the way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-you-arrive-where-you-thought-you-wanted-to-be-you-ll-just-begin/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“Hello?” he said, waiting out the shrill stream on the other end of the line. He smiled, “Because I’m her husband. I can answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/hello-he-said-waiting-out-the-shrill-stream-on-the-other-end-of-the/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [Through doubt we arrive at the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/through-doubt-we-arrive-at-the-truth/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I've always been very good at convincing people. For instance, if I arrive in an airport and I'm in economy, I can always convince…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-seigner/i-ve-always-been-very-good-at-convincing-people-for-instance-if-i/) [Emmanuelle Seigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-seigner/) > [God is our name for the last generalization to which we can arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/god-is-our-name-for-the-last-generalization-to-which-we-can-arrive/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [When you come to America, it's a very serious thing. It's not like you arrive and they say, 'Hey, come on! Do movies!' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-q/when-you-come-to-america-it-s-a-very-serious-thing-it-s-not-like-you/) [Maggie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-q/) > [In my head, at least, the business of spinning stories has no closing time. Twists in my characters' lives, glimpses of their secrets, obstacles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/in-my-head-at-least-the-business-of-spinning-stories-has-no-closing/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [It is through beauty that we arrive at freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-through-beauty-that-we-arrive-at-freedom/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [To arrive is to be in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/to-arrive-is-to-be-in-prison/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Because when I arrive I, I'll bring the fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudolf/because-when-i-arrive-i-i-ll-bring-the-fire/) [Kevin Rudolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudolf/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Arrive quotes > [Because when I arrive I, I'll bring the fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudolf/because-when-i-arrive-i-i-ll-bring-the-fire/) [Kevin Rudolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudolf/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To arrive is to be in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/to-arrive-is-to-be-in-prison/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [It is through beauty that we arrive at freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-through-beauty-that-we-arrive-at-freedom/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [In my head, at least, the business of spinning stories has no closing time. Twists in my characters' lives, glimpses of their secrets, obstacles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/in-my-head-at-least-the-business-of-spinning-stories-has-no-closing/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [When you come to America, it's a very serious thing. It's not like you arrive and they say, 'Hey, come on! Do movies!' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-q/when-you-come-to-america-it-s-a-very-serious-thing-it-s-not-like-you/) [Maggie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-q/) > [God is our name for the last generalization to which we can arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/god-is-our-name-for-the-last-generalization-to-which-we-can-arrive/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I've always been very good at convincing people. For instance, if I arrive in an airport and I'm in economy, I can always convince…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-seigner/i-ve-always-been-very-good-at-convincing-people-for-instance-if-i/) [Emmanuelle Seigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-seigner/) > [Through doubt we arrive at the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/through-doubt-we-arrive-at-the-truth/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“Hello?” he said, waiting out the shrill stream on the other end of the line. He smiled, “Because I’m her husband. I can answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/hello-he-said-waiting-out-the-shrill-stream-on-the-other-end-of-the/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [When you arrive where you thought you wanted to be, you'll just begin a new journey so enjoy each step along the way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-you-arrive-where-you-thought-you-wanted-to-be-you-ll-just-begin/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“No, how can one preserve one's life and at the same time arrive at the truth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solschenizyn/no-how-can-one-preserve-one-s-life-and-at-the-same-time-arrive-at-the/) [Alexander Solschenizyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solschenizyn/) > [Cinema is made to film material: the body. By filming the material, the mechanical, the worker, we arrive at the spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/cinema-is-made-to-film-material-the-body-by-filming-the-material-the/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) > [I like to arrive in the box often and I don't care if I'm there as a no. 9 or a no. 10.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/i-like-to-arrive-in-the-box-often-and-i-don-t-care-if-i-m-there-as-a/) [Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/) > [Some wonder whether some day we will arrive at a theory of everything and run out of new problems to solve - much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/some-wonder-whether-some-day-we-will-arrive-at-a-theory-of-everything/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) Browse all 183 Arrive quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You cannot talk when you first arrive. 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