George Saunders Quotes

If we go on explaining we shall cease to understand one another.

I've always been very aware of what I'm saying, but I'm also aware of what you're saying. I always want to make sure that my point is clear.

The first ingredient in conversation is truth, the next good sense, the third good humor, and the fourth wit.

If you want what you're saying heard, then take your time and say it so that the listener will actually hear it. You might save somebody's life. Your own, first.

If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.

You should communicate with your other one. Understanding what they are on about is pretty key.

The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it.

I never want to confuse people or go over their heads.

When we use terms we get confused, yet we have no other way.

The beauty of social awareness is that a few simple adjustments to what you say can vastly improve your relationships with other people.

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

Discretion of speech is more than eloquence, and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words, or in good order.

Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating.

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

Maids in India have egos. Big egos. They do not like being spoken to curtly, and they do not like to be abruptly instructed by a woman they do not know. They come with the feeling that they already know everything. So while training them to do things your way, speak gently, and when they do it right, appreciate it.

True wisdom listens more, talks less and can get along with all types of people.

If you make yourself understood, you're always speaking well.

I remember very vividly what it's like to be a child. The adults you liked were the ones who listened to you when you spoke and gave you time to say what you wanted to say and actually listened, and quite often reacted as a result of what you'd said.

I'm sorry I can't speak very coherently.

I am not very good at expressing myself in a simple way so it can create mis-understandings and I hate that.

Communication is about being effective, not always about being proper.

Lady Gaga said to me, 'You showed me how it's done.' I have no idea what she meant by 'it.'

Let me explain what I do here. I don't want to confuse you any more than absolutely necessary.

He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.