--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Speaking of love, one problem that recurs…" description: "\"Speaking of love, one problem that recurs more and more frequently these days, in books and plays and movies, is the inability of people to communicate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/tom-lehrer-3442_add_speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs_3180478.jpg" --- # Speaking of love, one problem that recurs more and more… ![“Speaking of love, one problem that recurs more and more frequently these days, in books and plays and movies, is the inability of people to communicate with the people they love; husbands and wives who can't communicate, children who can't communicate with their parents, and so on. And the…” quote by Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/tom-lehrer-3442_add_speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs_3180478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/tom-lehrer-3442_add_speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs_3180478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/tom-lehrer-3442_add_speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs_3180478.jpg) > “Speaking of love, one problem that recurs more and more frequently these days, in books and plays and movies, is the inability of people to communicate with the people they love; husbands and wives who can't communicate, children who can't communicate with their parents, and so on. And the characters in these books and plays and so on (and in real life, I might add) spend hours bemoaning the fact that they can't communicate. I feel that if a person can't communicate, the very least he can do is to shut up.” [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how love often suffers from poor communication, leading to frustration and conflict in relationships. **In simple terms:** Love fails when people don’t talk; silence can be a solution. Key Takeaway When words fail, choose silence over conflict. Themes communication relationships love conflict silence Mood frustrated reflective hopeful Type observational advice philosophical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - family meetings - friendship disputes - workplace teamwork Key Concepts interpersonal dynamics emotional intelligence social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How can you express love without words? - When is silence more helpful than speaking? A Different Perspective Silence may avoid misunderstandings but can also suppress needed dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Husband and wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband-and-wife/) [Husbands And Wives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husbands-and-wives/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [When I deal with my son, my wife and I definitely take the time to make sure that he feels comfortable in every situation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-frye/when-i-deal-with-my-son-my-wife-and-i-definitely-take-the-time-to/) [Channing Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-frye/) > [It is important to communicate to children about what we are going through. We often speak in half truths. We don't frame the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-redfield/it-is-important-to-communicate-to-children-about-what-we-are-going/) [James Redfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-redfield/) > [I'm not a tech-savvy parent. I communicate with my children via the old-media format called yelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-m-not-a-tech-savvy-parent-i-communicate-with-my-children-via-the/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I want my children to be able to meet and play and communicate with many other children on their own, not only when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/i-want-my-children-to-be-able-to-meet-and-play-and-communicate-with/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [In underground music, there seems to be this real inability for people to express themselves in any kind of heroic or mythological way. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-svenonius/in-underground-music-there-seems-to-be-this-real-inability-for-people/) [Ian Svenonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-svenonius/) > [What is the empathy deficit? The inability of people to stand in other folks shoes. It's hard to empathize with people who have different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-is-the-empathy-deficit-the-inability-of-people-to-stand-in-other/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [One of the greatest gifts God can give to a person, is inability to see in people anything bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sams/one-of-the-greatest-gifts-god-can-give-to-a-person-is-inability-to/) [Michael Sams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sams/) > [This is a song about the inability of people to communicate with each other. Not particularly internationally, but especially emotionally. So that what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-garfunkel/this-is-a-song-about-the-inability-of-people-to-communicate-with-each/) [Art Garfunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-garfunkel/) > [ That \[American exceptionalism\] is a reaction to the inability of people to understand global complexity or important issues like American energy dependency. Therefore, they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/that-american-exceptionalism-is-a-reaction-to-the-inability-of-people/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [The real problem has to do with the inability by people to admit that a position they've held a long time might be wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-real-problem-has-to-do-with-the-inability-by-people-to-admit-that/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [It sucks you can't make someone Love you back web technically speaking they made you Love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-sucks-you-can-t-make-someone-love-you-back-web-technically/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No, when we speaking about love, is never too late. - Lorenzo”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-friendman-letters-to-juliet/no-when-we-speaking-about-love-is-never-too-late-lorenzo/) Lise Friendman-Letters to Juliet > [“You really do love him, don’t you?” she said quietly. Vadim blinked, then looked to the side, without seeing colours and patterns, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-voinov/you-really-do-love-him-don-t-you-she-said-quietly-vadim-blinked-then/) [Aleksandr Voinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-voinov/) > [as some strings, untouched, sound when no one is speaking. So it was when love slipped inside us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/as-some-strings-untouched-sound-when-no-one-is-speaking-so-it-was/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [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/) ## More by Tom Lehrer > [Plagiarize, plagiarize, / Let no man's work evade your eyes, / Remember why the good Lord made your eyes, / Don't shade your eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/plagiarize-plagiarize-let-no-man-s-work-evade-your-eyes-remember-why/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [When someone makes a move Of which we don't approve, Who is it that always intervenes? U.N. and O.A.S., They have their place, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/when-someone-makes-a-move-of-which-we-don-t-approve-who-is-it-that/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't solicit for your sister, it's not nice. Unless you get a good percentage of her price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-solicit-for-your-sister-it-s-not-nice-unless-you-get-a-good/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/it-is-a-sobering-thought-that-when-mozart-was-my-age-he-had-been-dead/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [“I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky. In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-am-never-forget-the-day-i-first-meet-the-great-lobachevsky-in-one/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Counting in octal is just likst counting in decimal--if you don't use your thumbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/counting-in-octal-is-just-likst-counting-in-decimal-if-you-don-t-use/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Disclaimer: If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared to not only retract it, but also to deny under oath I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/disclaimer-if-anyone-disagrees-with-anything-i-say-i-am-quite/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't write naughty words on the wall if you can't spell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-write-naughty-words-on-the-wall-if-you-can-t-spell/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I don't want to satirise George Bush and his puppeteers, I want to vaporise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-don-t-want-to-satirise-george-bush-and-his-puppeteers-i-want-to/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [San Francisco is a city of twenty-something millionaire white kids named Doug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/san-francisco-is-a-city-of-twenty-something-millionaire-white-kids/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [On Christmas day you can't get sore, Your fellow man you must adore, There's time to cheat him all the more The other three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/on-christmas-day-you-can-t-get-sore-your-fellow-man-you-must-adore/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Be prepared, and be careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/be-prepared-and-be-careful-not-to-do-your-good-deeds-when-there-s-no/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [There's something mathematically satisfying about music: notes fit together and harmony and all that. And mathematics has to do with abstractions and making connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/there-s-something-mathematically-satisfying-about-music-notes-fit/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) [Explore all 130 Tom Lehrer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## More Add quotes > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [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/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/) [Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/) Browse all 2,710 Add quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Speaking of love, one problem that recurs more and more frequently these days, in books and plays and movies, is the inability of people to communicate with the people they love; husbands and wives who can't communicate, children who can't communicate with their parents, and so on. And the characters in these books and plays and so on (and in real life, I might add) spend hours bemoaning the fact that they can't communicate. I feel that if a person can't communicate, the very least he can do is to shut up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Lehrer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs-more-and-more-frequently/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Add" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs-more-and-more-frequently/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/tom-lehrer-3442_add_speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs_3180478.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/tom-lehrer-3442_add_speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs_3180478.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/tom-lehrer-3442_add_speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs_3180478.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Speaking of love, one problem that recurs more and more frequently these days, in books and plays and…” — Tom Lehrer", "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": "Tom Lehrer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Speaking of love, one problem that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs-more-and-more-frequently/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/speaking-of-love-one-problem-that-recurs-more-and-more-frequently/#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 } } ] } ```