---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A person who talks with equal vivacity on…"
description: "\"A person who talks with equal vivacity on every subject, excites no interest in any. Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.\" — William..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/william-hazlitt-326_communication_a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-o_731022.png"
---

#  A person who talks with equal vivacity on every subject…

![“A person who talks with equal vivacity on every subject, excites no interest in any. Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/william-hazlitt-326_communication_a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-o_731022.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/william-hazlitt-326_communication_a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-o_731022.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/william-hazlitt-326_communication_a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-o_731022.png)

> “A person who talks with equal vivacity on every subject, excites no interest in any. Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.”

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A person who speaks with equal enthusiasm about all topics fails to engage listeners; balance and restraint are needed in dialogue.

**In simple terms:** Talking about everything equally bores people; pause matters.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate selective enthusiasm.

Themes

communication balance engagement

Mood

thoughtful calm

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

- public speaking
- writing
- teaching
- media interviews

Key Concepts

focus moderation interest

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you choose topics to highlight?
- When should you pause for effect?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on variety can dilute depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Vivacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vivacity/)

## Related quotes

> [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The repose necessary to all beauty is repose, not of inanition, nor of luxury, nor of irresolution, but the repose of magnificent energy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-repose-necessary-to-all-beauty-is-repose-not-of-inanition-nor-of/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Always remember a person who talks to you about others, will also talk to others about you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/always-remember-a-person-who-talks-to-you-about-others-will-also-talk/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [The learned person who only talks will never Penetrate to the inner heart of humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/the-learned-person-who-only-talks-will-never-penetrate-to-the-inner/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [If I know the person talks a lot I avoid using these words: 1) Really? 2) Please explain! 3) Hello.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/if-i-know-the-person-talks-a-lot-i-avoid-using-these-words-1-really-2/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [We prefer a person with vivacity and high spirits, though bordering upon insolence, to the timid and pusillanimous; we are fonder of wit joined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-prefer-a-person-with-vivacity-and-high-spirits-though-bordering/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The person who talks a lot or talks over people misses out because they weren't listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-joyner-kersee/the-person-who-talks-a-lot-or-talks-over-people-misses-out-because/)

[Jackie Joyner-Kersee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-joyner-kersee/)

> [Grace in women has more effect than beauty. We sometimes see a certain fine self-possession, an habitual voluptuousness of character, which reposes on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/grace-in-women-has-more-effect-than-beauty-we-sometimes-see-a-certain/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The only true retirement is that of the heart; the only true leisure is the repose of the passions. To such persons it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-only-true-retirement-is-that-of-the-heart-the-only-true-leisure/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [There is a quiet repose and steadiness about the happiness of age, if the life has been well spent. Its feebleness is not painful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/there-is-a-quiet-repose-and-steadiness-about-the-happiness-of-age-if/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [It is by vivacity and wit that man shines in company; but trite jokes and loud laughter reduce him to a buffoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-by-vivacity-and-wit-that-man-shines-in-company-but-trite-jokes/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [An army of lions commanded by a deer will never be an army of lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/an-army-of-lions-commanded-by-a-deer-will-never-be-an-army-of-lions/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [Apart from the representational content of an idea there is another component: its force and vivacity, its impetus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/apart-from-the-representational-content-of-an-idea-there-is-another/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [No one expects a Broadway musical comedy to be in the vanguard of what is bohemian, raunchy, folkloric, academic or aggressively experimental. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-jefferson/no-one-expects-a-broadway-musical-comedy-to-be-in-the-vanguard-of/)

[Margo Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-jefferson/)

> [A problem with my novels is that they, from the start, have been infantile and incredibly childish. There are childishness, stupidity, lack of wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/a-problem-with-my-novels-is-that-they-from-the-start-have-been/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

## More by William Hazlitt

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [No act terminating in itself constitutes greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-act-terminating-in-itself-constitutes-greatness/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/vice-is-man-s-nature-virtue-is-a-habit-or-a-mask/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-never-do-anything-well-till-we-cease-to-think-about-the-manner/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-not-satisfied-to-be-right-unless-we-can-prove-others-to-be/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-world-judge-of-men-by-their-ability-in-their-profession-and-we/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-best-part-of-our-lives-we-pass-in-counting-on-what-is-to-come/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

[Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## 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

> [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": "A person who talks with equal vivacity on every subject, excites no interest in any. Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Hazlitt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-on-every-subject-excites-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-on-every-subject-excites-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/william-hazlitt-326_communication_a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-o_731022.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/william-hazlitt-326_communication_a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-o_731022.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/william-hazlitt-326_communication_a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-o_731022.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A person who talks with equal vivacity on every subject, excites no interest in any. Repose is as necessary…” — William Hazlitt",
                "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": "William Hazlitt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A person who talks with equal...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-on-every-subject-excites-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-person-who-talks-with-equal-vivacity-on-every-subject-excites-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
