--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Indira Gandhi] answered cautiously at…" description: "\"[Indira Gandhi] answered cautiously at first. Then she opened up like a flower and the conversation flowed along without obstacles, in mutual sympathy...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/oriana-fallaci-3082_communication_indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-fir_1524940.png" --- # \[Indira Gandhi\] answered cautiously at first. Then she… ![“[Indira Gandhi] answered cautiously at first. Then she opened up like a flower and the conversation flowed along without obstacles, in mutual sympathy.” quote by Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/oriana-fallaci-3082_communication_indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-fir_1524940.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/oriana-fallaci-3082_communication_indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-fir_1524940.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/oriana-fallaci-3082_communication_indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-fir_1524940.png) > “\[Indira Gandhi\] answered cautiously at first. Then she opened up like a flower and the conversation flowed along without obstacles, in mutual sympathy.” [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Initially cautious, Indira Gandhi gradually opened up, allowing a smooth, empathetic dialogue to flow. **In simple terms:** She became open and the conversation eased. Key Takeaway Foster openness in conversation. Themes communication empathy politics Mood thoughtful encouraging Type political interview When to use this quote - diplomacy - interviews - conflict resolution Key Concepts dialogue trust building Questions to Reflect On - What helps you feel safe to open up? - How can you encourage mutual sympathy? A Different Perspective Caution may persist despite initial openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answered Cautiously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answered-cautiously-5645284/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Conversation Flowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation-flowed-2495834/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Flower Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower-conversation-5645285/) [Gandhi Answered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gandhi-answered-5645283/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indira-gandhi/) [Mutual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) ## Related quotes > [“The conversation flowed and stopped and started as it would, a third thing in the room, not quite controlled by either of them, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/the-conversation-flowed-and-stopped-and-started-as-it-would-a-third/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“I remember feeling dangerously close to blurting out something like 'I love you' and blowing the whole deal. But fortunately I didn't and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-o-brien/i-remember-feeling-dangerously-close-to-blurting-out-something-like-i/) [Ronan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-o-brien/) > [“Cutler cleared his throat, not liking how comfortable the conversation flowed between his friend and the woman that had his Levi's fitting like nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siera-london/cutler-cleared-his-throat-not-liking-how-comfortable-the-conversation/) [Siera London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siera-london/) > [ Sometimes I ask myself whether \[Indira Gandhi\] had, even then, a certain contempt for the system she represented and, years later, would overthrow. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/sometimes-i-ask-myself-whether-indira-gandhi-had-even-then-a-certain/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [I met Indira Gandhi in her office in the government palace. The same office that had been her father's - large, cold and plain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/i-met-indira-gandhi-in-her-office-in-the-government-palace-the-same/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [ Besides the things I asked \[Indira Gandhi\], she told me about her son Rajiv, who is married to an Italian girl and is a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/besides-the-things-i-asked-indira-gandhi-she-told-me-about-her-son/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [ \[Indira Gandhi\] looked tired that day, and all of a sudden I exclaimed, 'Deep down I don't envy you, and I shouldn't like to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/indira-gandhi-looked-tired-that-day-and-all-of-a-sudden-i-exclaimed/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [There was that argument that if we had more women in positions of authority, the world would be a nicer place. And then we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/there-was-that-argument-that-if-we-had-more-women-in-positions-of/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“Although I notice there is never a truly good time to have a nice long chat with one´s mother-in-law, unless you are having an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/although-i-notice-there-is-never-a-truly-good-time-to-have-a-nice/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [I would love to play Indira Gandhi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/i-would-love-to-play-indira-gandhi/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [I had no time for Indira Gandhi. She was too much in the Russian camp for my liking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-had-no-time-for-indira-gandhi-she-was-too-much-in-the-russian-camp/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [The importance of the leader has always mattered, whether it was Indira Gandhi, V. P. Singh, or Narendra Modi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-shah/the-importance-of-the-leader-has-always-mattered-whether-it-was/) [Amit Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-shah/) > [In 1971, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi defeated Pakistan, and our leader, A. B. Vajpayee, who was in the Opposition, praised her, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajnath-singh/in-1971-when-prime-minister-indira-gandhi-defeated-pakistan-and-our/) [Rajnath Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajnath-singh/) > [After a decade in power, rather than showcasing their achievements, the Modi government is busy dredging up the past, pointing fingers at stalwarts like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-k-stalin/after-a-decade-in-power-rather-than-showcasing-their-achievements-the/) [M. K. Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-k-stalin/) > [I had a talent for copying the signatures of dignitaries like Indira Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan and so on. So, I wanted to become someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/i-had-a-talent-for-copying-the-signatures-of-dignitaries-like-indira/) [Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/) ## More by Oriana Fallaci > [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [One day you and I will have to have a little talk about this business called love. I still don't understand what it's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/one-day-you-and-i-will-have-to-have-a-little-talk-about-this-business/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [Europe becomes more and more a province of Islam, a colony of Islam. And Italy is an outpost of that province, a stronghold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/europe-becomes-more-and-more-a-province-of-islam-a-colony-of-islam/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [Journalism is an extraordinary and terrible privilege. Not by chance, if you are aware of it, does it consume you with a hundred feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/journalism-is-an-extraordinary-and-terrible-privilege-not-by-chance/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [I don't hide. I never have. I stay at home because I like to stay at home, and at home I work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/i-don-t-hide-i-never-have-i-stay-at-home-because-i-like-to-stay-at/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [“i live on my books. on my writings, i live on my royalties: the percentage an author recieves on each sold copy. and i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/i-live-on-my-books-on-my-writings-i-live-on-my-royalties-the/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [Whether it comes from a despotic sovereign or an elected president, from a murderous general or a beloved leader, I see power as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/whether-it-comes-from-a-despotic-sovereign-or-an-elected-president/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [How do you dare to ask me for a solution? It's like asking Seneca for a solution. You remember what he did? He committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/how-do-you-dare-to-ask-me-for-a-solution-it-s-like-asking-seneca-for/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [Physical courage is a great test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/physical-courage-is-a-great-test/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [If a man is a man and not a sheep in the flock, he has a survival instinct in him that leads him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/if-a-man-is-a-man-and-not-a-sheep-in-the-flock-he-has-a-survival/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [There are moments in Life when keeping silent becomes a fault, and speaking an obligation. A civic duty, a moral challenge, a categorical imperative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/there-are-moments-in-life-when-keeping-silent-becomes-a-fault-and/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [Khomeini was not a puppet like Arafat or Qaddafi or the many other dictators I met in the Islamic world. He was a sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/khomeini-was-not-a-puppet-like-arafat-or-qaddafi-or-the-many-other/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [Laura Bush has the face of my mother when my mother was young. The face, the body, the voice. The first time I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/laura-bush-has-the-face-of-my-mother-when-my-mother-was-young-the/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [“La guerra è un infanticidio in massa, rinviato di vent'anni.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/la-guerra-un-infanticidio-in-massa-rinviato-di-vent-anni/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [America's vulnerability comes precisely from its strength, its wealth, its power and its modernity. It's the usual story of the dog chasing its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/america-s-vulnerability-comes-precisely-from-its-strength-its-wealth/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) [Explore all 118 Oriana Fallaci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "[Indira Gandhi] answered cautiously at first. Then she opened up like a flower and the conversation flowed along without obstacles, in mutual sympathy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oriana Fallaci" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-first-then-she-opened-up-like-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-first-then-she-opened-up-like-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/oriana-fallaci-3082_communication_indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-fir_1524940.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/oriana-fallaci-3082_communication_indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-fir_1524940.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/oriana-fallaci-3082_communication_indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-fir_1524940.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[Indira Gandhi] answered cautiously at first. Then she opened up like a flower and the conversation flowed…” — Oriana Fallaci", "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": "Oriana Fallaci", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[Indira Gandhi] answered cautiously at first....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-first-then-she-opened-up-like-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/indira-gandhi-answered-cautiously-at-first-then-she-opened-up-like-a/#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 } } ] } ```