--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing I've discovered is that if you…" description: "\"One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal relationships, if you invest in sources who seem at f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/sarah-stillman-21738_contact_one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you_1975796.jpg" --- # One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact… ![“One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal relationships, if you invest in sources who seem at first like they're uncomfortable or unwilling to talk, if you keep in touch with them, a year later that might yield something much more powerful.” quote by Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/sarah-stillman-21738_contact_one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you_1975796.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/sarah-stillman-21738_contact_one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you_1975796.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/sarah-stillman-21738_contact_one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you_1975796.jpg) > “One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal relationships, if you invest in sources who seem at first like they're uncomfortable or unwilling to talk, if you keep in touch with them, a year later that might yield something much more powerful.” [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Building and maintaining long‑term relationships can turn hesitant contacts into powerful allies over time. **In simple terms:** Invest in relationships even if they seem reluctant. Key Takeaway Cultivate patience and follow‑up. Themes relationships trust networking patience Mood hopeful strategic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career mentorship - business development - community organizing - research collaborations Key Concepts social capital reciprocity long‑term value Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify which relationships merit sustained effort? - What signals indicate a contact is becoming more open? A Different Perspective Not all contacts will respond positively; effort may not always pay off. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [My first wife tried to get back with me a year later, but there was no way. I used to think she was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-scolari/my-first-wife-tried-to-get-back-with-me-a-year-later-but-there-was-no/) [Peter Scolari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-scolari/) > [A lot of times, movies that are in the top 10 lists or maybe even win Baftas or Oscars, you then watch them a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/a-lot-of-times-movies-that-are-in-the-top-10-lists-or-maybe-even-win/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [In 1923 I was the No. 1 box office star. 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Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The roadwork is just rehearsal for that DVD you're going to film a year later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-dunham/the-roadwork-is-just-rehearsal-for-that-dvd-you-re-going-to-film-a/) [Jeff Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-dunham/) ## More by Sarah Stillman > [Workers are actually being starved on the largest military base in Baghdad, and women are being raped with impunity - and because it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/workers-are-actually-being-starved-on-the-largest-military-base-in/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I try to come to my reporting as a real, whole person, not an automaton. And it's always one of the strange discomforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-try-to-come-to-my-reporting-as-a-real-whole-person-not-an-automaton/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [One thing I've discovered is that I never think of something that didn't work out as just "something that didn't work out." I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-i-never-think-of-something-that/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I think most of us, as writers, have had experiences where you get edited and it doesn't feel like your voice at all. 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If he stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-improved-american-highway-system-isolated-the-american-in-transit/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) > [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. They are watching with keen interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flower-a-newhouse/you-should-never-feel-lonely-neglected-fearful-or-defeated-when-you/) [Flower A. 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They all crave contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sy-montgomery/i-never-met-a-pig-i-didn-t-like-all-pigs-are-intelligent-emotional/) [Sy Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sy-montgomery/) Browse all 1,740 Contact quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal relationships, if you invest in sources who seem at first like they're uncomfortable or unwilling to talk, if you keep in touch with them, a year later that might yield something much more powerful.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Stillman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you-remain-in-contact-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contact" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you-remain-in-contact-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/sarah-stillman-21738_contact_one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you_1975796.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/sarah-stillman-21738_contact_one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you_1975796.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/sarah-stillman-21738_contact_one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you_1975796.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal…” — Sarah Stillman", "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": "Sarah Stillman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One thing I've discovered is that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you-remain-in-contact-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you-remain-in-contact-with/#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 } } ] } ```