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We belong to talking, not what talking is about... Stop talking - and you are out. Silence equals exclusion.
Zygmunt Bauman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the importance of communication in human relationships and the negative consequences of silence.

Zygmunt Bauman highlights the intrinsic human need for conversation, suggesting that talking is fundamental to our belonging in society. He warns that remaining silent can lead to feelings of exclusion, as engagement in dialogue is vital for maintaining connections with others and conveying our identities.

Themes

CommunicationSilenceBelongingExclusionDialogue

In practice

Example use cases

During a team meeting to emphasize the importance of participation, I might say this quote to encourage everyone to contribute.

More from Zygmunt Bauman

There are other ways of finding satisfaction, recipes for human happiness, enjoyment, dignified and meaningful, gratifying life, than increased consumption that increases production.
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Civilisation, the orderly world in which we live, is frail. We are skating on thin ice. There is a fear of a collective disaster. Terrorism, genocide, flu, tsunamis.
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In a liquid modern life there are no permanent bonds, and any that we take up for a time must be tied loosely so that they can be untied again, as quickly and as effortlessly as possible, when circumstances change - as they surely will in our liquid modern society, over and over again.
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The carrying power of a bridge is not the average strength of the pillars, but the strength of the weakest pillar. I have always believed that you do not measure the health of a society by GNP but by the condition of its worst off.
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As far as love is concerned, possession, power, fusion and disenchantment are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
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We live in a world of communication - everyone gets information about everyone else. There is universal comparison and you don't just compare yourself with the people next door, you compare yourself to people all over the world and with what is being presented as the decent, proper and dignified life. It's the crime of humiliation.
Zygmunt BaumanRead

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