To forgive is not to forget. The merit lies in loving in spite of the vivid knowledge that one that must be loved is not a friend. There is not merit in loving an enemy when you forget him for a friend.
Mahatma GandhiRead
We cannot be speakers who do not listen. But neither can we be listeners who do not speak.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Active listening and speaking are both essential for effective communication.
This quote by Mahatma Gandhi emphasizes the importance of balance in communication. It suggests that to engage meaningfully with others, one must not only listen attentively but also express their own thoughts and feelings. The act of listening itself enriches the speaker's words, while speaking allows the listener to contribute to the dialogue, fostering mutual understanding and connection.
Themes
CommunicationListeningSpeakingDialogueUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a public speaking workshop, when discussing the importance of listening in speeches.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes βLove never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
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Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
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The real test of nonviolence lies in its being brought in contact with those who have contempt for it.
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Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
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The devotion of such titans of spirit as Lenin to an Ideal must bear fruit. The nobility of his selflessness will be an example through centuries to come, and his Ideal will reach perfection.
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Man, if I get a chance to speak on the microphone, I've got to say something somewhere in there. You know, I'm going to laugh and have fun, too, but something has to be said that has some substance, because this is a platform, and the power that we have with words and with this microphone is phenomenal.
CommonRead
I don't know the rules of grammar... If you're trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think. We try to write in the vernacular.
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Alan CohenRead