There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people, without a plan, could speak a spontaneous, unexpected truth, because revelation rules. Telling words recur in this smart, generous conversation between Stephen Andrews and Gregg Bordowitz: patience, responsibility, feminism, ethics, cosmology, AIDS, gift, freedom, mortality.
Interpretation
Conversation is a spontaneous art filled with unexpected truths and possibilities.
In this quote, Lynne Tillman emphasizes that while some individuals may excel at the skill of conversation, the true value lies in its inherent spontaneity and the capacity for unexpected, authentic insights to emerge. She highlights that meaningful dialogue can encompass a vast array of critical and complex themes, suggesting that the unplanned nature of conversation can lead to profound revelations about important social issues.
In practice
In a public seminar about the importance of dialogue in understanding diverse perspectives.
Whenever you speak to someone, you are presuming the two of you have a certain degree of familiarity - which your words might alter. So every sentence has to do two things at once: convey a message and continue to negotiate that relationship.
You cannot speak that which you do not know. You cannot share that which you do not feel. You cannot translate that which you do not have. And you cannot give that which you do not possess. To give it and to share it, and for it to be effective, you first need to have it. Good communication starts with good preparation.
Words are such uncertain things, they so often sound well but mean the opposite of what one thinks they do.
Evil communication corrupts good manners. I hope to live to hear that good communication corrects bad manners.
Merely stating a truth isn't enough. The truth has to be made vivid, interesting, dramatic. You have to use showmanship.
You can't truly listen to someone and do anything else at the same time.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.