80 Listening Quotes That Express the Importance of Listening (2022)
Listening is an integral part of every relationship, including the one with ourselves.
There is a lot of listening quotes to sift through, but the following 50 speak of what happens when you listen: to others, to yourself, and even to nature.
What does it mean to be a good listener?
Listening is a skill, and here are some reasons we should all strive to improve our listening abilities. Some of these quotes will even tell you how to be a better listener.
After all, “Listening is often the only thing needed to help someone.” I think that oftentimes, that someone might be ourselves!
So take a breath, quiet your mind and read through these insightful listening quotes.
Listening quotes to improve your listening skills
1. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”― Ernest Hemingway
2. “Listening is an effect. Communication is cause.”― Meir Ezra
3. “Friends are those rare people who ask how we are, and then wait to hear the answer.”― Ed Cunningham
4. “Emma felt that she could not now show greater kindness than in listening.”― Jane Austen
5. “It takes a great man to be a good listener.”― Calvin Coolidge
6. “An appreciative listener is always stimulating.”― Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles
7. “Listen with the will to learn.”― Unarine Ramaru
8. “Listen with your eyes as well as your ears.”― Graham Speechley
9. “When we listen, we hear someone into existence.”― Laurie Buchanan, PhD
10. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”― Leo Buscaglia
Listening quotes that will inspire you to hear more
11. “Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all he or she needs is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for his or her suffering can be a big comfort.”― Roy T. Bennett
12. “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” – Bryant H. McGill
13. “Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.” – Karl A. Menniger
14. “Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.” – Henri Nouwen
15. “Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.” – Jane Goodall
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of inspiring Jane Goodall quotes about the environment.
16. “Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.”― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of curiosity quotes that will inspire you to learn more about the world around you.
17. “People love to talk but hate to listen. Listening is not merely not talking, though even that is beyond most of our powers; it means taking a vigorous, human interest in what is being told us. You can listen like a blank wall or like a splendid auditorium where every sound comes back fuller and richer.”― Alice Duer Miller
18. “Bravery is the choice to show up and listen to another person, be it a loved one or perceived foe, even when it is uncomfortable, painful, or the last thing you want to do.”― Alaric Hutchinson
19. “Listen with your eyes for feelings.” – Stephen Covey
20. “Listen with ears of tolerance.” – Rumi
21. “Listen with your mouth closed and your heart open.” – Christine Toda
22. “Listen with grace, with no judgment, without imposing the law.” – Joseph Prince
23. “Listen with your heart, you will understand.” – Pochahontas
Listening quotes about success and wisdom
24. “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”― Stephen R. Covey
25. “Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”― Bernard M. Baruch
26. “Part of being successful is about asking questions and listening to the answers.”― Anne Burrell
27. “Talk a little less, listen a little more, and you’ll be a lot wiser”― Eric Gibbons
28. “All wisdom was the result of listening to one’s own soul.”― Paulo Coelho
29. “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have rather talked.” – Mark Twain
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of wisdom quotes from the world’s greatest minds.
30. “You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people.” – Zig Ziglar
31. “Listening to and understanding our inner sufferings will resolve most of the problems we encounter.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
32. “Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.” – Jane Goodall
33. “Are you listening or thinking when you are listening?”― Pawan Parashar
34. “I knew you talked to books. I didn’t realize they listened.”― Margaret Rogerson, Sorcery of Thorns
35. “Stop and listen. The story is everywhere.”― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen
36. “Listen for silence.”― Frank Sonnenberg
37. “Listening is the secret to discovering great stories.” – Fyrefly London
38. “It’s a phenomenon that people treat lightly, and it should not be treated lightly. It’s something that is essential to human beings: listening to stories.” George Guidall
39. “Leaders are listeners, start listening. Listening happens through eyes, stay focused.”― C Muthu Palaniappan
Witty and interesting listening quotes
40. “We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”― Zeno of Citium, as quoted by Diogenes Laërtius
41. “There’s a lot of difference between listening and hearing.”― G. K. Chesterton
42. “The word ‘listen’ contains the same letters as the word ‘silent’.”― Alfred Brendel
43. “Never allow your ego to diminish your ability to listen.”― Gary Hopkins
44. “You can’t fake listening. It shows.”― Raquel Welch
45. “There’s more than one way to tell each other things, and there’s more than one way to listen, too.”― Katherine Hannigan, Ida B. . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World
46. “Listening fast, and caring immediately, is a skill in itself.”― Amanda Palmer
47. “The art of conversation lies in listening”― Malcolm Forbes
48. “The older I grow, the more I listen to people who don’t talk much.”― Germain G. Glidden
49. “Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows.” – Native American Proverb
50. “Listening is being able to be changed by the other person.” – Alan Alda
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Powerful listening quotes
51. “Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.” – Dean Jackson
52. “Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done, and why. Then do it.”— Robert A. Heinlein
53. “Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals.” – L. J. Isham
54. “Listening well and answering well is one of the greatest perfections that can be obtained in conversation.”– François de La Rochefoucauld
55. “Listening is about being present, not just about being quiet.” – Krista Tippett
56. “Honor your relationships by developing listening skills.”– Allan Lokos
57. “Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.” – Anonymous
58. “Don’t think or judge, just listen.”– Sarah Dessen
59. “The worst of all listeners is the man who does nothing but listens.”-Charles Dickens
60. “Listening means taking a second to consider what they’re saying, not just hearing their words.” – Anonymous
Listening quotes to make you a better listener
61. “It is hard to listen while you were talking.” – Rachel Cusk
62. “Listen with an open heart. Hear with an open mind. Love with open arms.” – Charles F Glassman
63. “Listen and you’ll be heard.”― Abhijit Naskar
64. “If you love listening more than talking, you may love more reading more than writing.” – Luigina Sgarro
65. “You cannot see someone unless you are willing to listen to them.” – Andre Freimann
66. “Those who have a listening heart can hear the song of silence.” – Debasish Mridha
67. “If speaking is silver, then listening is gold.” – Turkish Proverb
68. “Just because someone doesn’t respond doesn’t mean they are not Listening.” – Michelle Carithers
69. “To be heard you must first listen.”― Abhijit Naskar
70. “The intelligent talk and the wise listen.” – Raheel Farooq
More listening quotes and sayings
71. “You should listen to people who don’t talk much.”― Robert Celner
72. “I listened more than I studied, therefore little by little my knowledge and ability were developed.” – Joseph Haydn
73. “Listening is a magnetic force.” – Karl A. Menninger
74. “If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will gain much more than you can by talk.” – Robert Baden-Powell
75. “Sometimes it was enough just to listen to voices that weren’t your own.”― Claire Lombardo
76. “Listening to others’ viewpoints may reveal the one thing needed to complete your goals.” – D. Ridgley
77. “Tell a person they’re wrong, and they’ll cover their ears. Tell a person they’re right, and they’ll listen to you all day long.”― Alice Feeney
78. “Be careful how you are talking to yourself because you are listening.” – Lisa M. Hayes
79. “You learn when you listen. You earn when you listen – not just money but respect.” – Harvey Mackay
80. “There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.” –Rumi
What did you learn from these listening quotes?
The value found in being a good listener is undeniable. Maybe the next time you find yourself in the quiet of nature you might listen a little differently.
What would it mean to you if someone in your life started listening to you a little more? I know I wish my kids would listen to me more, but first, maybe I need to hear the things they aren’t saying.
Did you find something you can implement the next time you find yourself in a conversation with someone? Has your inner voice been trying desperately to get you to pay attention?
Which of these listening quotes and sayings resonated with you best? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
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