For good or ill, your conversation is your advertisement. Every time you open your mouth you let men look into your mind. Do they see it well clothed, neat, businesslike?
—Bruce Fairchild Barton (1886–1967) American Author, Advertising Executive, Politician
Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
The great secret of succeeding in conversation is to admire little, to hear much; always to distrust our own reason, and sometimes that of our friends; never to pretend to wit, but to make that of others appear as much as possibly we can; to hearken to what is said and to answer to the purpose.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Speech is for the convenience of those who are hard of hearing; but there are many fine things which we cannot say if we have to shout.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
The techniques of opening conversation are universal. I knew long ago and rediscovered that the best way to attract attention, help, and conversation is to be lost. A man who seeing his mother starving to death on a path kicks her in the stomach to clear the way, will cheerfully devote several hours of his time giving wrong directions to a total stranger who claims to be lost.
—John Steinbeck (1902–68) American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Journalist
The habit of common and continuous speech is a symptom of mental deficiency. It proceeds from not knowing what is going on in other people’s minds.
—Walter Bagehot (1826–77) English Economist, Journalist
A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.
—Chinese Proverb
Conversation has a kind of charm about it, an insinuating and insidious something that elicits secrets just like love or liquor.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
A witty saying proves nothing.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
One would think that the larger the company is, the greater variety of thoughts and subjects would be started in discourse; but instead of this, we find that conversation is never so much strait ened and confined as in large assemblies.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
Wherever the relevance of speech is at stake, matters become political by definition, for speech is what makes man a political being.
—Hannah Arendt (1906–75) German-American Philosopher, Political Theorist
They say women talk too much. If you have worked in Congress you know that the filibuster was invented by men.
—Clare Boothe Luce (1903–87) American Playwright, Diplomat, Journalist
We sometimes disputed, and very fond we were of argument, and very desirous of confuting one another, which is apt to become a very bad habit. I had caught it by reading my father’s books of dispute about religion. Persons of good sense, I have since observed, seldom fall into it, except lawyers, university men, and men of all sorts that have been bred at Edinburgh.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Good talk is like good scenery—continuous, yet constantly varying, and full of the charm of novelty and surprise.
—Randolph Bourne (1886–1918) American Journalist, Social Critic
In an easy matter. Anybody can be eloquent.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (c.43 BCE–c.18 CE) Roman Poet
You have such strong words at command, that they make the smallest argument seem formidable.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
Little-minded people’s thoughts move in such small circles that five minutes conversation gives you an arc long enough to determine their whole curve.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–94) American Physician, Essayist
There are remarks that sow and remarks that reap.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-born British Philosopher
I like to do all the talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
She has lost the art of conversation, but not, unfortunately, the power of speech.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.
—Plutarch (c.46–c.120 CE) Greek Biographer, Philosopher
To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all true conversation.
—Chinese Proverb
It has been said that our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength.
—Charles Spurgeon (1834–92) English Baptist Preacher
Why doesn’t the fellow who says “I’m no speechmaker” let it go at that instead of giving a demonstration?
—Kin Hubbard (1868–1930) American Cartoonist, Humorist
One’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into action … which bring results.
—Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) English Nurse
Silence is one great art of conversation.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
He speaketh not; and yet there lies
A conversation in his eyes.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
I would rather take hellebore than spend a conversation with a good, little man.
—Edward Dahlberg (1900–77) American Novelist, Essayist, Autobiographer
We never say so much as when we do not quite know what we want to say. We need few words when we have something to say, but all the words in all the dictionaries will not suffice when we have nothing to say and want desperately to say it.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author
Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
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