Patricia Reilly Giff Quotes

I know some people who never have any difficulties to speak of. The moment I understood your premisses, I felt sure you had a real foundation to hold on.

I always had a lot of confidence in my ability to gauge a situation and people and try to understand them and what they were saying and what their context was.

I'm not a very good advice-giver.

There's a popular concept of 'intelligence' as book smarts, like calculus or chess, as opposed to, say, social skills. So people say that 'it takes more than intelligence to succeed in human society.' But social skills reside in the brain, not the kidneys.

I'm not that guy who thinks I have all the answers. Writing is a means of communicating, and if enough people say, 'I don't get it,' it's worth looking at.

We're losing social skills, the human interaction skills, how to read a person's mood, to read their body language, how to be patient until the moment is right to make or press a point. Too much exclusive use of electronic information dehumanises what is a very, very important part of community life and living together.

Reporters have to use their imagination, really put themselves in the shoes of the person they want to interview.

Men and women are equally intelligent, but separate factors, such as the abilities to focus, be collaborative and take other people's views into account, allow you to be successful.

The biggest piece of advice I have is - listen. Don't jump to the answer or what you think the answer is. The more you listen, the more you learn.

I've always had a lot of female friends. And guy friends too. And people have always come to me for advice about things.

Listen to clients, employees, and peers and stay open to their ideas, feedback, and answers. Doing so is vital to the success of any leader.

Negotiation is empathy. It's almost trite to say that if you can't put yourself in the seat of the other person you're speaking with, you're not going to do well. It's not about being a bully, not about making offers people can't refuse.

Empathy is the bridge to understand those who you may be lucky to one day lead, and it is - in my opinion - the most under-appreciated human skill in business.

Engineers are great at many things. They're not necessarily great at recognizing basic human psychology.

I think the best thing I have is the introvert's ability to listen when you're working on something as complicated as this and you have to really be aware of everyone's specialized skills.

The arts are the most uniquely suited to provide young people with critical-thinking skills, problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration, empathy and tolerance and compassion, looking at the other point of views.

It's one of those things I have been able to do - play well with my teammates and getting others involved.

Being a host is about being able to communicate and build up a rapport with the audience.

When you're working with someone new, it takes a second to understand their instincts and range. It's not really conscious.

I'm not a person who believes in the great difference between women and men as editors. But I do think that quality is key. We're very good at organizing and discipline and patience, and patience is 50 per cent of editing. You have to keep banging away at something until you get it to work. I think women are maybe better at that.

When I was at school, one of my teachers had two statements hanging from the board all year: 'Be observant' and 'Be empathetic.'

Having the ability to relate to people is such an important part of management and leadership.

Wisdom comes out of dialogue so you have to develop the capacity to expose your own ignorance in order that they may discover their own wisdom.

My managers understood that when I sulk, they talk to me. It's a way for me to be heard.

I don't have any problems getting people to open up.