My Favorite Inspiring Quotes
Learn to Listen
Commentary by Peter Shepherd

“The first duty of love is to listen.” ~ Paul Tillich
The components of a compassionate relationship are communication, understanding and empathy. This applies to ourselves too; we need to really listen to our heartfelt feelings and inner knowing.
“I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening.” ~ Larry King
Our growth in general depends on opening up - to learn from our experiences, from our emotions, from our intuition and inner guidance, from other people's viewpoints and discoveries. To listen is to be in the present - and to be meaningfully present.
“Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes practice, but we don't have to do anything else. We don't have to advise, or coach, or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen.” ~ Margaret J. Wheatley
Listening means considering what the other is saying with an open mind, not just hearing their words, and only then asking questions to clarify and understand more deeply. We don't have to agree but for a caring relationship, we do have to understand.


Article about learning to listen...
Listen, Don't Solve - by Linda Sapadin
To make himself feel comfortable, he offers solutions; she rejects them. He feels ineffectual; she feels isolated. Why can't she appreciate his input? She might, but not until her flood of emotions has subsided. Advice may be welcome but not when the timing is off. So what's a guy to do? Here are a few tips. Continues...