Douglas Kirkland Quotes

People will feel safer around you and speak truthfully to you when they feel you are listening intently to them.

She is a friend of mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind.

I think my strength is to act instinctively, really quickly, on what I believe, what I see in this person. A proper portrait. I wouldn't dream of doing something inappropriate for that person. I guess I make the person comfortable around me.

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

I have my own high standards for what I want in a partner and how I want to be treated. I bring a lot to the table. I'm not talking about material things but what I have to offer as a person - love and loyalty and all the things that make a good relationship.

Central to living a life that is good is a life that's forgiving. We're creatures of contact, regardless of whether we kiss or we wound.

Good listeners have a huge advantage. For one, when they engage in conversation, they make people 'feel' heard. They 'feel' that someone really understands their wants, needs and desires. And for good reason; a good listener does care to understand.

I traffic in empathy. I try to be vulnerable with people so they can be vulnerable back. I've always been searching for empathy in other people. It's when I feel most not alone.

Y'know, every relationship is different. There are good marriages, bad marriages, connected partners, unconnected partners.

The key to high-quality communication is trust, and it's hard to trust somebody that you don't know.

I think that the basic philosophy was very good. It was just be nice to each other, and don't step on other people's toes and infringe on their freedom.

My grandmother had a great saying. It always stuck with me: 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.' They've got to see it and feel it. And it's for real. And that's all. Be who you are.

If fear is the great enemy of intimacy, love is its true friend.

A true friend encourages us, comforts us, supports us like a big easy chair, offering us a safe refuge from the world.

A leader must be a good listener. He must be willing to take counsel. He must show a genuine concern and love for those under his stewardship.

I feel like my first conversation with someone, I really get a good feeling about who that person is and mainly about how open they are.

The more you work with anyone, the more comfortable and safe you feel. The more you have an understanding.

People talked to me in a way I think they would not have talked to somebody who hadn't shared the experience; they gave me their papers, they gave me their diaries. I found people constantly opening up to me. And I think they did because I had shared that experience with them.

I know what it takes to be a good boyfriend. Time, first and foremost. To be there for someone and be involved in their life.

Talk to people in their own language. If you do it well, they'll say, 'God, he said exactly what I was thinking.' And when they begin to respect you, they'll follow you to the death.

Let's use our stories to encourage listening to one another and to hear not just the good news, but also the pain that lies at the back of a lot of people's stories and histories.

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.

Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships.

For you to ask advice on the rules of love is no better than to ask advice on the rules of madness.

If someone knows me and likes me or my work, they're more likely to allow me to tell their story. But it also cuts the other way.