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The difference between listening and pretending to listen, I discovered, is enormous. One is fluid, the other is rigid. One is alive, the other is stuffed.

Alan Alda

I found I wasn’t asking good enough questions because I assumed I knew something.
ALAN ALDA

Ask Assume Enough Found Good Knew Question Something
After a while I started to think of that as an image of something that went a lot deeper than the dead dog, which is you can’t bring back anything to life.
ALAN ALDA

Anything Back Bring Dead Deeper Dog Image Something Start Think
Be as smart as you can, but remember that it is always better to be wise than to be smart.
ALAN ALDA

Always Better Remember Smart Wise
I had never really wanted to be famous. Everyone is supposed to want to be rich and famous, but as a boy I never knew what rich was, and the first view I had of famous made me leery.
ALAN ALDA

Everyone Famous First Leery Really Suppose View Want
I would box them into a corner with a badly formed question, and they didn’t know how to get out of it. Now, I let them take me through it step by step, and I listen.
ALAN ALDA

Badly Box Corner Form Get Listen Out Question Step
What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.
ALAN ALDA

Discover Wonderful Yourself
Nothing important was ever accomplished without chutzpah. Columbus had chutzpah. The signers of the Declaration of Independence had chutzpah.
ALAN ALDA

Accomplish Chutzpah Country Ever Important Nothing
I was brought up as a Catholic, and I’m no longer a Catholic.
ALAN ALDA

Brought Longer Religious
Loneliness is everything it’s cracked up to be.
ALAN ALDA

Crack Everything Loneliness Up
I’m in this wonderful position where I can do what interests me. And whatever comes along that interests me, I do. The rest of the time I bother scientists about communicating.
ALAN ALDA

Along Come Communication Interest Position Scientific Whatever Wonderful
And I want to warn everyone in the press and all the voters out there: if you demand expressions of religious faith from politicians, you are just begging to be lied to.
ALAN ALDA

Beg Demand Everyone Expression Politician Press Religious
If you know what you’re looking for, that’s all you’ll get – what’s previously known. But when you’re open to what’s possible, you get something new – that’s creativity.
ALAN ALDA

Creative Know Look New Possible Previous Something
Insanity is just a state of mind.
ALAN ALDA

Instant Just Mind State
I used to be a Catholic. I left because I object to conversion by concussion. If you don’t agree with what they teach, you get clobbered over the head until you do. All that does is change the shape of the head.
ALAN ALDA

Concussion Conversion Left Object Religious Use
I still don’t like the word agnostic. It’s too fancy. I’m simply not a believer. But, as simple as this notion is, it confuses some people.
ALAN ALDA

Agnostic Believe Fancy Like Notion Simple Word
I’m in the real world, some people try to steal from me, and I stop them, frequently, take them to court. I love a good lawsuit. It’s fun.
ALAN ALDA

Court Frequent People Real Some Steal Stop Them

The difference between listening and pretending to listen, I discovered, is enormous. One is fluid, the other is rigid. One is alive, the other is stuffed.

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The difference between listening and pretending to listen, I discovered, is enormous. One is fluid, the other is rigid. One is alive, the other is stuffed.

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Popular Authors

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