Chen Shui-bian Quotes

I have never been shy about listening to the input of others and weighing it seriously.

However, it must always remain a dialogue, and never an imposition of the church's own convictions and methods. Propose, not impose. To serve, and not to dominate.

I've led a school whose faculty and students examine and discuss and debate every aspect of our law and legal system. And what I've learned most is that no one has a monopoly on truth or wisdom. I've learned that we make progress by listening to each other, across every apparent political or ideological divide.

One of the things my father taught me was you should not exclude those who are opposed to your ideas.

I'm very democratic about stuff. I know what I want, but I also like getting opinions and people sharing ideas.

By isolating ourselves from those with whose opinions we disagree, we lose the ability to defend our beliefs.

I want to encourage open conversation, which allows people to discuss issues and learn from each other.

Seriously, we all need to get over being offended every time someone says something you don't agree with. Guess what? That's life. And I'd rather have that life any day than only hear from people who agree with me.

One of my beliefs about leadership is it's not how many followers you have, but how many people you have with different opinions that you can bring together and try to be a good listener.

If anyone wants to ask a question or to suggest something, I'm always open.

I encourage people and their different points of view.

What I've really learned is to be open to listen to other people's opinions and then question my own thoughts. And learn how to talk to people. The biggest gift from having one of these moments is that it gets people talking.

Everyone has a responsibility to not only tolerate another person's point of view, but also to accept it eagerly as a challenge to your own understanding. And express those challenges in terms of serving other people.

I believe in accessibility. I believe in honesty and a culture that supports that. And you can't have that if you're not open to receiving feedback.

I enjoy being around people who disagree with me; and I enjoy being in non-political contexts and activities.

I listen. I meet with everybody, I don't care what their political persuasion is - whether it be a labor union or small-business folks or individuals who have problems. But I meet with everybody and listen.

People who work with me say I have a four-step response to new ideas: rejection, reconsideration, acceptance, ownership. I need to listen more patiently.

Dialogue means debates and everyone's point of view.

Real answers need to be found in dialogue and interaction and, yes, our shared human condition. This means being open to one another instead of simply fighting to maintain a prescribed position.

We have to believe that we can hold different points of view without labeling each other bad feminists.

I'm not scared of diversity. We have to have debates and win the argument, and if there are amendments that need to be brought up so we find out where the party is, so be it.

And humility in politics means accepting that one party doesn't have all the answers; recognising that working in partnership is progress not treachery.

I love argument, I love debate. I don't expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me, that's not their job.

I will listen to any argument put to me.

We can learn from everybody.