--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And then the problem with those who speak…" description: "\"“And then the problem with those who speak only English is this: they don't know how to listen; they are busy looking at your falling instead of paying..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/noviolet-bulawayo-12666_english-language_and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-spea_1689311.jpg" --- # And then the problem with those who speak only English is… ![“And then the problem with those who speak only English is this: they don't know how to listen; they are busy looking at your falling instead of paying attention to what you are saying.” quote by NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/noviolet-bulawayo-12666_english-language_and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-spea_1689311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/noviolet-bulawayo-12666_english-language_and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-spea_1689311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/noviolet-bulawayo-12666_english-language_and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-spea_1689311.jpg) > ““And then the problem with those who speak only English is this: they don't know how to listen; they are busy looking at your falling instead of paying attention to what you are saying.”” [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People who only speak English often fail to truly listen, focusing on superficial cues rather than the speaker’s message. **In simple terms:** English speakers may miss deeper meaning. Key Takeaway Practice active listening. Themes communication listening culture Mood reflective critical Type advice observational When to use this quote - team meetings - cross‑cultural dialogues - customer service - education - media interviews Key Concepts cultural bias attention empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve listening beyond words? - What cues indicate genuine attention? A Different Perspective Assuming language proficiency equals understanding can be misleading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [English language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) ## Related quotes > [“The problem with English is this: You usually can't open your mouth and it comes out just like that--first you have to think what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/the-problem-with-english-is-this-you-usually-can-t-open-your-mouth/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [Saying, That's crazy when you haven't been paying attention to what someone's saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/saying-that-s-crazy-when-you-haven-t-been-paying-attention-to-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But the problem is that when I go around and speak on campuses, I still don't get young men standing up and saying, 'How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/but-the-problem-is-that-when-i-go-around-and-speak-on-campuses-i/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“His eyes search mine, more serious than his tone would indicate, and I know he’s looking to see whether or not I’m falling apart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/his-eyes-search-mine-more-serious-than-his-tone-would-indicate-and-i/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [They rise in the morning, and they sleep in the dark. And even though nobody's looking, she's falling apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/they-rise-in-the-morning-and-they-sleep-in-the-dark-and-even-though/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) > [“You got me looking up Even when I'm falling down You got me crawling out of my skin You got me wondering why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/you-got-me-looking-up-even-when-i-m-falling-down-you-got-me-crawling/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [Pay attention to not only what you're saying or doing but who you're saying and doing it with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-rose/pay-attention-to-not-only-what-you-re-saying-or-doing-but-who-you-re/) [Jalen Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-rose/) > [“And then she wondered: Could she get his attention, without saying a word? If she needed his help or wanted to stop, could she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/and-then-she-wondered-could-she-get-his-attention-without-saying-a/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [One key to successful group decisions is getting people to pay much less attention to what everyone else is saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/one-key-to-successful-group-decisions-is-getting-people-to-pay-much/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [“If you want to make people pay attention to what you're saying, you don't raise your voice but lower it: this is what really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/if-you-want-to-make-people-pay-attention-to-what-you-re-saying-you/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [They crave attention though they always saying "Show me something." But girl you ain't the only one that's trying to be the only one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/they-crave-attention-though-they-always-saying-show-me-something-but/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [“I'd read somewhere that if you want to make people pay attention to what you're saying, you don't raise your voice but lower it:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-d-read-somewhere-that-if-you-want-to-make-people-pay-attention-to/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [They crave attention though, they always saying show me som but girl you aint the only one that's tryna be the only one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/they-crave-attention-though-they-always-saying-show-me-som-but-girl/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [When you talk, pay attention to what you are saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher/when-you-talk-pay-attention-to-what-you-are-saying/) [Mazher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher/) > [When your girl talk, pay attention to what she is saying. Don't just nod your head and continue watching television...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/when-your-girl-talk-pay-attention-to-what-she-is-saying-don-t-just/) Mazher (@mazher50 ## More by NoViolet Bulawayo > [“Further and further we go, and the sun keeps ironing us and ironing us and ironing us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/further-and-further-we-go-and-the-sun-keeps-ironing-us-and-ironing-us/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“...and the women spread their ntsaroz and sit on one side, the men on the other, like they are two different rivers that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/and-the-women-spread-their-ntsaroz-and-sit-on-one-side-the-men-on-the/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“Because we were not in our country, we could not use our own languages, and so when we spoke our voices came out bruised.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/because-we-were-not-in-our-country-we-could-not-use-our-own-languages/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“Heaven is boring. Didn't you see, in that picture book back when we used to go to school? It's just plain and white and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/heaven-is-boring-didn-t-you-see-in-that-picture-book-back-when-we/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“You pray and pray and pray and nothing changes, like for example I prayed for a real house and good clothes and a bicycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/you-pray-and-pray-and-pray-and-nothing-changes-like-for-example-i/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“It's not the lying itself that makes me feel bad but the fact that I'm here lying to my friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/it-s-not-the-lying-itself-that-makes-me-feel-bad-but-the-fact-that-i/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“a country is a Coca-Cola bottle that can smash on the floor and disappoint you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/a-country-is-a-coca-cola-bottle-that-can-smash-on-the-floor-and/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“Look at them leaving in droves despite knowing they will be welcomed with restraint in those strange lands because they do not belong, knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/look-at-them-leaving-in-droves-despite-knowing-they-will-be-welcomed/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“this place doesn't look like my America”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/this-place-doesn-t-look-like-my-america/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“He speaks with this tone like he owns things, but we know that even the baton stick in his hands is not his, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/he-speaks-with-this-tone-like-he-owns-things-but-we-know-that-even/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“At first it comes in small drops; that's how pee does, if somebody is watching, then it just won't come. I get more tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/at-first-it-comes-in-small-drops-that-s-how-pee-does-if-somebody-is/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“When you look into their faces it's like something that was in there got up and gathered its things and walked away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/when-you-look-into-their-faces-it-s-like-something-that-was-in-there/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“Others with names like myths, names like puzzles, names we had never heard before: Virgilio, Balamugunthan, Faheem, Abdulrahman, Aziz, Baako, Dae-Hyun, Ousmane, Kimatsu. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/others-with-names-like-myths-names-like-puzzles-names-we-had-never/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“There are times, though, that no matter how much food I eat, I find the food does nothing for me, like I am hungry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/there-are-times-though-that-no-matter-how-much-food-i-eat-i-find-the/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“If Messenger would be to open his mouth right now, his voice would be a terrible wound.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/if-messenger-would-be-to-open-his-mouth-right-now-his-voice-would-be/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) [Explore all 53 NoViolet Bulawayo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) ## More English language quotes > [“Fine’s a funny word, don’t you think? I don’t think there’s another like it in the English language that says so much while actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/fine-s-a-funny-word-don-t-you-think-i-don-t-think-there-s-another/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [“The first phase of modernism, which so far as the English language goes we associate with Pound and Yeats, Wyndham Lewis and Eliot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-first-phase-of-modernism-which-so-far-as-the-english-language/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [These men of many nations must be taught American ways, the English language, and the right way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/these-men-of-many-nations-must-be-taught-american-ways-the-english/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“Nevertheless . . was a word, certainly, but much more than a word, it was a concept. "Nevertheless" was what you said when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brunonia-barry/nevertheless-was-a-word-certainly-but-much-more-than-a-word-it-was-a/) [Brunonia Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brunonia-barry/) > [My motto is "Unite now, today if you can; fight if you must. But in every case avoid British intervention."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-motto-is-unite-now-today-if-you-can-fight-if-you-must-but-in-every/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Hear me now or regret it later: Everything you write must be read aloud. Once all the context items are in place, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiro-adachi/hear-me-now-or-regret-it-later-everything-you-write-must-be-read/) Jiro Adachi > [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [A pronoun, too, will aptly reflect the number of its antecedent: "they" does not refer to one person, no matter how many personalities she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-elizabeth-gordon/a-pronoun-too-will-aptly-reflect-the-number-of-its-antecedent-they/) [Karen Elizabeth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-elizabeth-gordon/) > [The collectors of revenue and the policeman are the only symbols by which millions in India's villages know British rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-collectors-of-revenue-and-the-policeman-are-the-only-symbols-by/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Nothing was worse than a bovine with a 150 IQ trying to wrap its stunned mollusk tongue around the finely tuned syllables of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-anderson/nothing-was-worse-than-a-bovine-with-a-150-iq-trying-to-wrap-its/) Gary Anderson > [English literature is a glorious inheritance which is open to all - there are no barriers, no coupons, and no restrictions. In the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/english-literature-is-a-glorious-inheritance-which-is-open-to-all/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“ 'Hubba-Hubba' never slips out," Zeke said. "You selected those words with deliberate intent, and I question your commitment to the respectable use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-beth-durst/hubba-hubba-never-slips-out-zeke-said-you-selected-those-words-with/) [Sarah Beth Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-beth-durst/) > [Soundbite and slogan, strapline and headline, at every turn we meet hyperbole. The soaring inflation of the English language is more urgently in need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nunn/soundbite-and-slogan-strapline-and-headline-at-every-turn-we-meet/) [Trevor Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nunn/) [Browse all 686 English language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And then the problem with those who speak only English is this: they don't know how to listen; they are busy looking at your falling instead of paying attention to what you are saying.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "NoViolet Bulawayo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-speak-only-english-is-this-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "English language" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-speak-only-english-is-this-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/noviolet-bulawayo-12666_english-language_and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-spea_1689311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/noviolet-bulawayo-12666_english-language_and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-spea_1689311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/noviolet-bulawayo-12666_english-language_and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-spea_1689311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And then the problem with those who speak only English is this: they don't know how to listen; they are busy…” — NoViolet Bulawayo", "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": "NoViolet Bulawayo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And then the problem with those...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-speak-only-english-is-this-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/and-then-the-problem-with-those-who-speak-only-english-is-this-they/#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 } } ] } ```