Not Listening Quotes

“Whenever Percy stopped by to see [Annabeth], she was so lost in thought that the conversation went something like this:
Percy: 'Hey, how's it going?'
Annabeth: 'Uh, no thanks.'
Percy: 'Okay...have you eaten anything today?'
Annabeth: 'I think Leo is on duty. Ask him.'
Percy: 'So, my hair is on fire.'
Annabeth: 'Okay, in a while.”
― Rick Riordan, The Mark of Athena

“Be leery of silence. It doesn't mean you won the argument. Often, people are just busy reloading their guns.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Being kind to someone, only to look kind to others, defeats the purpose of being kind.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Arrogance is someone claiming to have come to Christ, but they won't spend more than five minutes listening to your journey because they are more concerned about their own well being, rather than being a true disciple of Christ. Blessed is the person that takes the time to heal and hear another person so they can move on.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“There is nothing more entertaining then leaving someone speechless. Yet, there is nothing sadder than realizing that person was incapable of retaining half of what you said, and will repeat the story all wrong to someone else.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“If there was any great lesson in life it was this: No battle was ever won with silence.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Most women are all too familiar with men like Calvin Smith. Men whose sense of prerogative renders them deaf when women say, "No thanks," "Not interested," or even "Fuck off, creep.”
― Jon Krakauer, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

“When the rush of the weak sweeps over those that strive to be strong, its destruction. The commonplaces of moral judgment become fogged with the lack of perception stained with the sting of longing. The voice of reason is lost in the envious echoes of hearts torn by battle. The song of our children echo the misfortune of their parent's haze---we all started out small and had dreams to become something more than what we were.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“The real moments that changed the world are when church members miss the meaning of a whole sermon, and take no accountability for the testimonies they damage, by being self-righteous.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“...M. Danglars, who had listened to all this preamble with imperturbable coolness, but without understanding a word, engaged as he was, like every man burdened with thoughts of the past, in seeking the thread of his own ideas in those of the speaker.”
― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

“She says: ...love is really all that matters. He hears: ...really love to do it on the mattress.”
― Anthony Liccione

“You are not listening to a word I am saying . . . and I am making the most delightful plans for your future.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

“Now, really, how arch
Can you be when you march
With a sword,
With a spear?
You belong

To a curious team,
You're in the extreme,
Maybe left,
Maybe right,
Maybe wrong.”
― Walt Kelly, The Pogo Poop Book

“Are you away with the fairies?”
― Morgan Jane Mitchell, Kissin Irish

“Kunskapsnivån i landet är så otroligt hög att ingen längre tycker det är nån idé att höra på när nån annan pratar.”
― Tage Danielsson, Samlade tankar från roten

“I don’t guess you can outrun an explosion, right?” Sam asked doubtfully.
Jack rolled his eyes and sighed his condescending geek sigh. “Seriously? Brianna runs in miles per hour. Explosions happen in feet per second. Don’t believe what you see in movies.”
“Yeah, Sam,” Dekka said.
“In the old days I always had Astrid around to humiliate me when I asked a stupid question,” Sam said. “It’s good to have Jack to take over that job.”
He’d said it lightheartedly, but the mention of Astrid left an awkward hole in the conversation.
Brianna said, “I can’t outrun an explosion, but I’ll tie the string around the wire.”
She zipped over to the wire and zipped back holding the loose end. “Who gets to yank the string?”
“She who ties the string pulls it,” Sam said. “But first—”
BOOOOM!
The containers, the sand, pieces of driftwood, bushes on the bluff all erupted in a fireball. Sam felt a blast of heat on his face. His ears rang. His eyes scrunched on sand.
Debris seemed to take a long time to fall back down to earth.
In the eventual silence Sam said, “I was going to say first we should all lie flat so we didn’t get blown up. But I guess that was good, too, Breeze.”
― Michael Grant, Fear

“The doctor asks the patient some form of the following: “So, what is wrong?” (or, in my case, my doc always asks “So, what are your concerns?”). The doctor listens for an average of 9 seconds, then intervenes with a prognosis. The amount of time the doctor is willing to listen before intervening has gone down over time, presumably as health insurers have pressured doctors to increase throughput and as they have greatly increased the amount of paperwork required of doctors. In other words, it is in the name of efficiency. The efficiency fairies are at work in the doctor’s office to eliminate all that wasteful time spent in creating a doctor-patient relationship.”
― L. Randall Wray

“She is plunging soundlessly through the night sky, toward the mirrored darkness of the sea.

When she hits, there is barely even a splash.

I cannot speak. Everything seems to slow around me. I think of Sophie's cracked lips, think of her saying, Please, just tell me this isn't real. I don't think I can live with any of this being real.

I think of the stones she filled her pockets with.

I hadn't been listening. I hadn't wanted to hear her; I'd just wanted to save her.

And now, because of me, she is dead.”
― Holly Black, The Cruel Prince

“I was capable of astral travel while looking like I was entirely present.”
― Kirsten McDougall, She's a Killer

“Doris was talking about the Orwells, and J.C. was talking about his princess, and asking when the cookies would be done, and neither one was really listening to the other. That's the way all conversations, really satisfying ones, are carried on.”
― Ann Petry, The Narrows