Thom Mayne Quotes

I have always believed in dialogue and in nonviolence, and if you look at my background you will see that it has always been my policy to talk to everyone.

When you have a conflict, that means that there are truths that have to be addressed on each side of the conflict. And when you have a conflict, then it's an educational process to try to resolve the conflict. And to resolve that, you have to get people on both sides of the conflict involved so that they can dialogue.

I think we can work through a lot of these issues.

Our position is that we can sit down and talk to try to solve our problems through dialogue.

If you listen, you'll learn. If you talk over each other, you don't accomplish anything.

Diplomacy is letting someone else have your way.

There is no conflict that can’t be solved.

Talk brings opponents together.

if we stop talking at one another, and start talking with one another, we can get a lot done.

A huge amount of negotiations and diplomacy has nothing to do with bartering or arguing but is just trying to get everyone [doing the negotiating] on the same page. It takes yours, days, even weeks sometimes.

I'm always ready to negotiate in good faith with others.

I see myself as a bridge-builder who can understand both sides.

Choose the path of dialogue rather than the path of unilateral decisions.

I feel like I've always been a great mediator.

To have compromise you must first have dialog. That is the true path of democracy.

I've spent my life navigating through sensitive issues. Not wanting to upset people.

It's a difficult question of relations between people.

We have to find compromises. That's the way it is in Norway.

Conflict cannot survive without your participation.

You learn how to compromise and you learn how to read each other. Honestly, being in a band with two guys has prepared me so much for when it's time for me to get married!

Sometimes you need conflict in order to come up with a solution. Through weakness, oftentimes, you can't make the right sort of settlement, so I'm aggressive, but I also get things done, and in the end, everybody likes me.

The best way to solve problems and to fight against war is through dialogue.

I think what helps me is that delegations of all sizes - the small, the medium, the large, the largest - they all have seen me in action. They all have seen me unlocking blockages, unlocking impasses for several years now, and they all know that... I can bring a constructive mood to the table.

You get nothing done if you don't listen to each other.

Diplomacy is fundamentally working with people, bringing people together to deal with difficult issues.