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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

Why do ordinary people become the target of this curiosity simply by virtue of the fact that other people recognize their names and faces but know nothing else about them? Why do we care what they think, what they wear, what they eat?
ALAN ALDA

Act Care Curiosity Eat Face Name Nothing Ordinary People Recognize Simply Target Virtue Wear
Really top-notch directors, I’ve often worked with them just to see how they work.
ALAN ALDA

Director Notch Often Really Top Work
Some of the greatest things, as I understand, they have come about by serendipity, the greatest discoveries
ALAN ALDA

Come Discovery Great Serendipity Some Thing Understand
I’ve sat looking down into a volcano that could blow at any moment; I’ve helped catch a shark and several rattlesnakes;
ALAN ALDA

Blow Catch Down Help Look Moment Rattlesnake Sat Several Volcano
I can sing in tune now, but I have to work really hard on it to make sure that I don’t exercise one of my great talents, which is the ability to sing in three keys at the same time.
ALAN ALDA

Ability Exercise Hard Key Now Same Talent Time Tune
When I’m willing to let them change me, something happens between us that’s more interesting than a pair of dueling monologues.
ALAN ALDA

Change Duet Happen Interest More Pair Something Willing
Listening is being able to be changed by the other person.
ALAN ALDA

Being Change Listen Other Person
Real listening is a willingness to let the other person change you.
ALAN ALDA

Change Listen Other Person Real Willingness
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
When your kids turn 13, an alien being invades their bodies and doesn’t leave until they’re 20.
ALAN ALDA

Alien Body Kid Leave Thirteen Turn Until Twenty
But often it’s a mechanical transformation, which isn’t as interesting, and you’ve got to be careful how you go about something like that, I think.
ALAN ALDA

Careful Internet Like Mechanical Often Something Transformation
When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be and not be at the same time and in the same respect.
ALAN ALDA

Both Logic Respect Rule Same School Study Taught Think Time
artists try to say things that can’t be said. in a fragile net of words, gestures, or colors, we hope to capture a feeling.
ALAN ALDA

Artist Capture Color Feeling Fragile Gesture Net Say Thing Word
Eventually, I found a radical way of thinking about listening. Real listening is a willingness to let the other person change you.
ALAN ALDA

Change Eventually Found Listen Radical Think Willingness
What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.
ALAN ALDA

Discover Wonderful Yourself
One day, though, I realized I was no longer a believer, and realizing that, I couldn’t go back.
ALAN ALDA

Back Believer Day Go Longer One Realize
Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while or the light won’t come in. If you challenge your own, you won’t be so quick to accept the unchallenged assumptions of others.
ALAN ALDA

Assumption Come Every Light Once Scrub Window World
I’ve been lucky enough to live through all the things that are supposed to give meaning to our lives, like parenting, grandparenting, art, celebrity.
ALAN ALDA

Celebrity Enough Grandparent Lucky Parent Suppose
But if you consider how abnormal their behavior is, then you are led to the hypothesis that almost all men are suffering from ‘testosterone poisoning.’
ALAN ALDA

Abnormal Almost Hypothesis led Poison Suffer Testosterone
For me, I find that even though I’ve accomplished a few things in my life, looking back on accomplishments doesn’t give me a sense of satisfaction.
ALAN ALDA

Accomplish Back Fin Life Look Satisfaction Sene Thing Through
I dont see we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious test to get in this government.
ALAN ALDA

Church Government Pass Religious Separate State Test
If I don’t win, I’ll just wait until I’m nominated for being in the theater during the show. Do they have one like that?
ALAN ALDA

Being During Like Nominate Show Theatre Until Win
Begin challenging your own assumptions.
ALAN ALDA

Assumption Begin Challenge Own
Insanity is just a state of mind.
ALAN ALDA

Instant Just Mind State
I have thought about punching people out. Sometimes, I’ve thought, ‘Why don’t I just act on that impulse?’ But then, I’ve never hit anybody in anger. Hey! I’ve never hit anybody for fun.
ALAN ALDA

Act Impulse Nobody People Punch Something
Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been.
ALAN ALDA

Brave Creative Else Enough Life Place
I guess in a world uncomfortable with uncertainty, an unbeliever must be an atheist, and possibly an infidel.
ALAN ALDA

Atheist Guess Infidel Possibly Unbeliever Uncertain Uncomfortable World

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.

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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.

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Popular Authors

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