“I encourage you to visit the devastated areas and talk to the people and listen to them… Not just distribute relief and then leave. I encourage you to visit the devastated areas and talk to the people and listen to them… Not just distribute relief and then leave. I assure u that you will learn a lot by being able to see things from their eyes… and perhaps those who criticize would understand. Beyond receiving relief goods, sometimes they also need someone who will listen to them. Try it. I promise that u will learn a lot.”

“I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with someone even if they could have. I need to know these people exist.”

“I learned this from Mike Wallace. Listen, be a good listener. You don't have to fill space. Just sit there and listen.”

“MRS ALLONBY I adore them. The clever people never listen, and the stupid people never talk.
HESTER I think the stupid people talk a great deal.
MRS ALLONBY Ah, I never listen!”

“I like to watch people. Sometimes I ride the subway all day and look at them and listen to them. I just want to figure out who they are and what they want and where they're going.”

“If you want people to listen to you, you have to listen to them. If you hope people will change how they live, you have to know how they live. If you want people to see you, you have to sit down with them eye-to-eye.”

“We wanted to not just have a presence there [areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina] and raise awareness in the Hispanic community -- and anyone else who might be watching -- but leave them a little better than when we got there.”

“I care about who you are, who you have been, who you want to be. I open myself to you to listen and learn about you. I cherish you, not just my fantasy of who you are, not just who I need you to be, but who you really are…”

“Now I understand what you tried to say to me
How you suffered for your sanity
How you tried to set them free
They would not listen —
They did not know how,
Perhaps they'll listen now.”

“Being President is like being the groundskeeper in a cemetery: there are a lot of people under you, but none of them are listening.”