“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.”
Book of Proverbs, c. 700 BC · Hebrew wisdom collection
Chapter 3
On Listening
“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”
Epistle of James, c. 60 AD · letter in the Christian New Testament
“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
Zeno of Citium, c. 300 BC · Cypriot founder of Stoicism
“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”
Plutarch, c. 100 AD · Greek biographer and priest of Delphi
“Accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another, and as much as it is possible, be in the speaker's mind.”
Marcus Aurelius, c. 175 AD · Roman emperor and Stoic
“At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth.”
Confucius, c. 500 BC · Chinese teacher of the Spring and Autumn period
“Be swift to hear; and let thy life be sincere; and with patience give answer.”
Ben Sira, c. 180 BC · Jerusalem scribe of the second century BC
“The ear that does not listen to advice accompanies the head when it is chopped off.”
Akan proverb, 1900 · traditional saying of Ghana
“Listen a hundred times. Ponder a thousand times. Speak once.”
Turkish proverb, 1900 · traditional saying of Anatolia
When people feel genuinely listened to, they become less defensive and describe their own views with more nuance. Good listening changes the speaker, not only the listener.
Guy Itzchakov and Avraham N. Kluger, 2017 · organizational psychologists studying listening quality
In first conversations, people who reflected back what they had heard were rated as more understanding than those who offered advice or simple approval.
Harry Weger Jr. and colleagues, 2014 · communication researchers testing active listening
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