Allison Riding Larsen

“That's the power of literature, you know, it can act like little love letters between two people who can only explain their feelings by pointing at other people's.”
― Fredrik Backman, Anxious People

“Research indicates that people who have a higher degree of self-awareness, and a related concept known as self-monitoring, are better listeners in part because they know the sorts of things that lead them to jump to the wrong conclusions and thus are less likely to do so. Cultivating self-awareness is a matter of paying attention to your emotions while in conversation and recognizing when your fears and sensitivities—or perhaps your desires and dreams—hijack your ability to listen well.”
― Kate Murphy, You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters

“Not listening because you don’t agree with someone, you are self-absorbed, or you think you already know what someone will say makes you a bad listener. But not listening because you don’t have the intellectual or emotional energy to listen at that moment makes you human. At that point, it’s probably best to exit the conversation and circle back later.”
― Kate Murphy, You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters

“While people often say, “I can’t talk right now,” what they really mean is “I can’t listen right now.”
― Kate Murphy, You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters