Gary Shteyngart Quotes

It used to be that people had a way of dealing with the world that was basically, 'I have a feeling, I want to make a call.' Now I would capture a way of dealing with the world, which is: 'I want to have a feeling, I need to send a text.'

I think there's a worry that an excessive use or an almost exclusive use of text and emails means that as a society we're losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that's necessary for living together and building a community.

I love talking to people and finding out their opinion.

In a conversation, keep in mind that you're more interested in what you have to say than anyone else is.

The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings.

seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.

I was fifteen years old when I understood how it is that things break down: people can't imagine someone else's point of view.

I only asked my friends to be friendly and polite, I found them indifferent and censorious; The one I left to silence, the other to reproach: God send me over all such friends victorious.

Remember that the people you are talking to are a hundred times more interested in themselves and their wants and problems than they are in you and your problems.

A man must know when to retreat from a woman, but a wise man knows that sometimes he must stand and face her.

% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words.

When I was in college, I remember thinking to myself, this internet thing is awesome because you can look up anything you want, you can read news, you can download music, you can watch movies, you can find information on Google, you can get reference material on Wikipedia, except the thing that is most important to humans, which is other people, was not there.

The '80s were a really different time for kids.Technology has changed so much of how we stay in touch and keep tabs on people.

Take care of your relationships and the sales/money will take care of itself.

The older I get, the more convinced I am that the space between people who are trying their best to understand each other is hallowed ground.

We owe to one another all the wit and good humour we can command; and nothing so clears our mental vistas as sympathetic and intelligent conversation.

The more people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.

Ultimately, being open and respectful towards each other is much more powerful as a way to diffuse hatred and anger than, you know, layering on, you know, big walls and oppressive policies.

The best way to make ourselves agreeable to others is by seeming to think them so. If we appear fully sensible of their good qualities they will not complain of the want of them in us.

He began to realize that you cannot even fight happily with creatures that stand upon a different mental basis to yourself.

I had to smile at the man. I mean, you have to smile at idiots and children.

You are strangely troublesome.

No pleasure is fully delightful without communications, and no delight absolute except imparted.

I don't always understand other people's motives. I will repeat that for my own benefit, if you don't mind. I don't always understand other people's motives.

Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.