--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't waste your time with explanations…" description: "\"Don't waste your time with explanations. People will only hear what they want to hear.\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paulo-coelho-10_explanations_don-t-waste-your-time-with-explanations_2435431.jpg" --- # Don't waste your time with explanations. People will only… ![“Don't waste your time with explanations. People will only hear what they want to hear.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paulo-coelho-10_explanations_don-t-waste-your-time-with-explanations_2435431.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paulo-coelho-10_explanations_don-t-waste-your-time-with-explanations_2435431.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paulo-coelho-10_explanations_don-t-waste-your-time-with-explanations_2435431.jpg) > “Don't waste your time with explanations. People will only hear what they want to hear.” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to interpret messages through their own biases, so explanations often fail to change opinions. **In simple terms:** Explanations rarely change minds because of bias. Key Takeaway Accept that you cannot control others' perceptions. Themes communication bias perception Mood frustrated reflective Type advice observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace discussions - political debates Key Concepts cognitive bias interpretation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when to explain versus accept? - What strategies help overcome bias? A Different Perspective People may still be persuaded with evidence and empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Explanations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanations/) [Explanations People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanations-people-334191/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Explanations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-explanations-334192/) [Want Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-hear-241691/) [Waste time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-time/) ## Related quotes > [Don't waste your time with explanations People hear ONLY what they wanna hear!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-waste-your-time-with-explanations-people-hear-only-what-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-waste-your-time-with-explanations-people-only-hear-what-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Life is too short to waste time complaining Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/life-is-too-short-to-waste-time-complaining-don-t-waste-your-time/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Dont waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troublemaker/dont-waste-your-time-with-explanations-people-only-hear-what-they/) [Troublemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troublemaker/) > [Don't waste your time giving explanations .People will only hear what they want to hear .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-waste-your-time-giving-explanations-people-will-only-hear-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “Save your explanations, I got some questions for you first and you'd better answer them!' \[slurred Hellian.\] 'With what?' \[Banaschar\] sneered. 'Explanations?' 'No. Answers.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/save-your-explanations-i-got-some-questions-for-you-first-and-you-d/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [We accept too damned many things on the explanations of people who could have good reasons for lying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/we-accept-too-damned-many-things-on-the-explanations-of-people-who/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“We were fortunate his brief psychic vision distracted him from what his fingertips could have told him about my face. Of course we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/we-were-fortunate-his-brief-psychic-vision-distracted-him-from-what/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What I don't like so much is to give explanations about people's behaviour... I'm not interested in making conclusions. I would never think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/what-i-don-t-like-so-much-is-to-give-explanations-about-people-s/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [Don't waste your time with explanation.People only hear what they want to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-waste-your-time-with-explanation-people-only-hear-what-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think you can have 10,000 explanations for failure, but no good explanation for success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-think-you-can-have-10-000-explanations-for-failure-but-no-good/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“It isn'y explanations that carry us forward, it's our desire to go on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-isn-y-explanations-that-carry-us-forward-it-s-our-desire-to-go-on/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Your explanation is good, but your herring doesn't fry, as we say in Ramaldah," he exploded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ashling/your-explanation-is-good-but-your-herring-doesn-t-fry-as-we-say-in/) [Andrew Ashling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ashling/) > [There are situations when all answers and explanations fade. When you fully accept that you do not know, you give up struggling to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-are-situations-when-all-answers-and-explanations-fade-when-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“You understand how much you know about a subject the moment you give explanations to someone who doesn't know anything about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigina-sgarro/you-understand-how-much-you-know-about-a-subject-the-moment-you-give/) [Luigina Sgarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigina-sgarro/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [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/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Explanations quotes > [“You understand how much you know about a subject the moment you give explanations to someone who doesn't know anything about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigina-sgarro/you-understand-how-much-you-know-about-a-subject-the-moment-you-give/) [Luigina Sgarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigina-sgarro/) > [There are situations when all answers and explanations fade. When you fully accept that you do not know, you give up struggling to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-are-situations-when-all-answers-and-explanations-fade-when-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Your explanation is good, but your herring doesn't fry, as we say in Ramaldah," he exploded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ashling/your-explanation-is-good-but-your-herring-doesn-t-fry-as-we-say-in/) [Andrew Ashling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ashling/) > [I loved Sherlock Holmes as a kid, but I remember being disappointed when he'd come up with these simple explanations for these complex mysteries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/i-loved-sherlock-holmes-as-a-kid-but-i-remember-being-disappointed/) [Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/) > [“The easiest explanations are often the right ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/the-easiest-explanations-are-often-the-right-ones/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [Explanations don't comfort. You won't feel better if you know why. It won't hurt any less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/explanations-don-t-comfort-you-won-t-feel-better-if-you-know-why-it/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [But the stupidity which is common to all such "explanations" is, of course, simply that of proceeding as though the merits of a theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stove/but-the-stupidity-which-is-common-to-all-such-explanations-is-of/) [David Stove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stove/) > [With old inflation riding the headlines, I have read till I am bleary-eyed, and I can't get head from tails of the whole thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/with-old-inflation-riding-the-headlines-i-have-read-till-i-am-bleary/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Some explanations of a crime are not explanations: they're part of the crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olavo-de-carvalho/some-explanations-of-a-crime-are-not-explanations-they-re-part-of-the/) [Olavo de Carvalho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olavo-de-carvalho/) > [“Science is the process of obscuring the marvelous with explanations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rozoff/science-is-the-process-of-obscuring-the-marvelous-with-explanations/) [James Rozoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rozoff/) > [I don't owe any explanations for anybody I'm fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-ward/i-don-t-owe-any-explanations-for-anybody-i-m-fighting/) [Andre Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-ward/) > [“Now, why is it that the idea of intention keeps turning up in explanations of adaptation, intruding even into ones where it is supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-c-stove/now-why-is-it-that-the-idea-of-intention-keeps-turning-up-in/) [David C. Stove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-c-stove/) > [There are many aspects of time we just do not understand. That’s the thing about writing a popular book: You realize the things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/there-are-many-aspects-of-time-we-just-do-not-understand-that-s-the/) [Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/) > [Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/watching-a-whole-cluster-of-friends-and-my-own-mother-die-over-quite/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [Unfortunately, in the field of evolution most explanations are not good. As a matter of fact, they hardly qualify as explanations at all; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-macbeth/unfortunately-in-the-field-of-evolution-most-explanations-are-not/) [Norman Macbeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-macbeth/) [Browse all 176 Explanations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't waste your time with explanations. 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