“The pleasing part is not that you say things that people want to hear but that your message is attractive to people and they want to engage it.”

“You can't make people listen to you. People only hear what they want to hear.”

“Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”

““So you’re saying, people not only may not want to hear a thing that’s true, that sometimes they make sure other people can’t either?”
“Yeah. Not all people, and not all the time, but yeah.””

“Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer.”

“The hardest thing about being famous is that people are always nice to you. You're in a conversation and everybody's agreeing with what you're saying—even if you say something totally crazy. You need people who can tell you what you don't want to hear.”

“If you're going to say what you want to say, you're going to hear what you don't want to hear.”

“Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.”

“If you want to introduce Jesus to people, you have to look good. If you want to tell people that Christ is a good saviour, the first thing they would look at is your appearance.”

“I want people to see me as an honest person, a person who is actually willing to express what they believe. The way I look at it, if people don't like that, I'd rather not be in office. I don't want to be in office under false pretenses, just saying things people want to hear so I can get elected.”