Best 132 quotes in «discussion quotes» category

If I don't talk about it, it's either very displeasing or very precious to me.

If people were not at most times led by some system of common ideas, neither a coherent policy nor even a real discussion about particular issues would be possible. It is doubtful whether democracy can work in the long run if the great majority do not have in common at least a general conception of the type of society desired.

If there is no disparity of opinions there is nothing of value being discussed

I have witnessed how the power of listening, storytelling and embracing gray areas breaks through the rigid 'us vs. them.

I hated discussing ideas with investors," he said, "because I then become a Defender of the Idea, and that influences your thought process." Once you became an idea's defender you had a harder time changing your mind about it.

In that moment she hated him, loathed him, this good man she had married. There was really nothing so terrible on the reverse side of his goodness, his steadiness, his mild good humor – just the belief, apparently grounded in the bedrock of his soul, that everybody was looking out for number one, each with his or her own little racket.

In five minutes the streets became deserted and only a few disarrayed teenagers could be seen hanging around in front of a big newsstand where coffee and pastries were served, and discussed about all these topics which now are so much affecting our youth, in every way possible.

Instead of seeing how much pain I can dish out towards those I disagree with, or who I believe have done me wrong, I seek to follow the golden rule and use my words and behavior to create more of what the world needs – love, compassion, and connection.

It is certainly impossible to lose respect if you lose out of some stupid discussions.

[Responding to the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce's question whether he traced his descent from an ape on his mother's or his father's side] A man has no reason to be ashamed of having an ape for his grandfather. If there were an ancestor whom I should feel shame in recalling it would rather be a man—a man of restless and versatile intellect—who … plunges into scientific questions with which he has no real acquaintance, only to obscure them by an aimless rhetoric, and distract the attention of his hearers from the real point at issue by eloquent digressions and skilled appeals to religious prejudice.

It was time to take up the discussion over governance, housing, transportation, security, health care, and education—to define the country we wanted and outline our terms. Who were we. . . . What were our limits and our ambitions?

My ideas will not be discussed, they will be executed.

It is better to purposefully spend time with people talking about things that could improve them or talk about things that could improve me than to just waste time discussing irrelevant things.

I have always loved to begin with the facts, to observe them, to walk in the light of experiment and demonstrate as much as possible, and to discuss the results.

Pendant des millions d'années, l'humanité a vécu comme les animaux. Par la suite, quelque chose est arrivé qui a libéré le pouvoir de notre imagination. Nous avons appris à parler et à écouter. La parole a permis la communication des idées, abilitant l'être humain à travailler ensemble afin de construire l'impossible. Les plus grandes réalisations de l'humanité se sont matérialisées en parlant, et ses plus grands échecs en ne parlant plus. Cela n'a pas lieu d'être. Nos plus grands espoirs pourraient devenir des réalités dans le futur. Avec la technologie à notre disposition, les possibilités sont illimitées. Tout ce que nous avons à faire est de s'assurer que nous continuions à parler.

On every formal visit a child ought to be of the party, by way of provision for discourse. In the present case it took up ten minutes to determine whether the boy were most like his father or mother, and in what particular he resembled either, for of course every body differed, and every body was astonished at the opinion of the others.

On matters where it is difficult or impossible to pin the blame for their policies' failures on conservatives, the fallback position has been to hurl a slur at anyone pointing out the obvious failure....The left's never-ending use of these worn-out attacks on the character and motivations of those who disagree with them has caused them to lose their effect....At the ground level, since liberals have lost the ability to win any and every political discussion by hurling a slur, they are simply resorting to the next level in political interaction: violence and physical intimidation.

Raise your vibration, Not your tone of voice.. You gain inspiration, For Peace is a choice.

...Plato conceived of philosophy as necessarily gregarious rather than solitary. The exposure of presumptions is best done in company, the more argumentative the better. This is why discussion around the table is so essential. This is why philosophy must be argumentative. It proceeds by way of arguments, and the arguments are argued over. Everything is aired in the bracing dialectic wind stirred by many clashing viewpoints. Only in this way can intuitions that have their source in societal or personal idiosyncrasies be exposed and questioned. ... There can be nothing like "Well, that's what I was brought up to believe," or "I just feel that it's right," or "I am privy to an authoritative voice whispering in my ear," or "I'm demonstrably smarter than all of you, so just accept that I know better here." The discussion around the seminar table countenances only the sorts of arguments and considerations that can, in principle, make a claim on everyone who signs on to the project of reason: appealing to, evaluating, and being persuaded by reasons. (pp. 38-39)

Rational argument can be conducted with some prospect of success only so long as the emotionality of a given situation does not exceed a critical degree.

Robert Frost didn’t like to explain his poems—and for good reason: to explain a poem is to suck the air from its lungs. This does not mean, however, that poets shouldn’t talk about their poetry, or that one shouldn’t ask questions about it. Rather, it suggests that any discussion of poetry should celebrate its ultimate ineffability and in so doing lead one to further inquiry. I think of that wonderful scene from Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, where Mosche the Beadle of the local synagogue, in dialogue with the young, precocious author, explains: “Every question possesses a power that does not lie in the answer.

Solutions are not found by pointing fingers they are reached by extending hands.

Some topics seem to be nothing but philosophical circles designed to lure the unsuspecting ant to its death.

The more we are able to engage in enthusiastic disagreement with each other, the more we will be able to uncover the best in ourselves and each other.

Those who use prejudice and hate as a foundation to make their cases have no merit. It is only when these feelings are set aside that we can think clearly and productively.

...[W]e must not let it enter our minds that there may be no validity in argument. On the contrary we should recognize that we ourselves are still intellectual invalids; but that we must brace ourselves and do our best to become healthy... No greater misfortune could happen to anyone than that of developing a dislike for argument.

Plain speaking is necessary in any discussion of religion, for if the freethinker attacks the religious dogmas with hesitation, the orthodox believer assumes that it is with regret that the freethinker would remove the crutch that supports the orthodox. And all religious beliefs are 'crutches' hindering the free locomotive efforts of an advancing humanity. There are no problems related to human progress and happiness in this age which any theology can solve, and which the teachings of freethought cannot do better and without the aid of encumbrances.

She is ugly… end of discussion!

She was born under the sign of Gemini. And that stands for the good and evil twin. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde both hiding and residing inside her heart. Her good twin was not bad at all. But her evil twin was even better, and showed up to be way too fatal!

Some of these things I understand, some I do not. It makes no difference. The discussions give me an excuse to talk to him, fatherly conversations I cannot have with my father, who would like me to be a lawyer.

The man who cannot listen to an argument which opposes his views either has a weak position or is a weak defender of it. No opinion that cannot stand discussion or criticism is worth holding. And it has been wisely said that the man who knows only half of any question is worse off than the man who knows nothing of it. He is not only one sided, but his partisanship soon turns him into an intolerant and a fanatic. In general it is true that nothing which cannot stand up under discussion and criticism is worth defending.

The meetings and marches and vigils are cool, but if the enemy isn't present, you're just talking slick to a can of oil.

The real purpose of the opposition is to minimize the amount of money the ruling party will have stolen from the people at the end of its term.

There is hardly a better way to avoid discussion than by releasing an argument from the control of the present and by saying that only the future will reveal its merits.

There is nothing sexier than sword fight.

There is something quite wonderful about sharing a secret.

The worst part, the worst part, was that Lord de Worde was never wrong. It was not a position he understood in relation to his personal geography. People who took an opposing view were insane, or dangerous, or possibly even not really people. You couldn't have an argument with Lord de Worde. Not a proper argument. An argument, from arguer, meant to debate and discuss and persuade by reason. What you could have with William's father was a flaming row.

Try not to force your idea on someone, but rather think about it with him. If you feel you have won the discussion, that is the wrong attitude. Try not to win the argument; just listen to it.

Tweet others the way you want to be tweeted.

Wenn ich den Eindruck hätte, dass in dem, was Sie da sagen, auch nur ein Körnchen Vernunft steckt, würde ich mir vielleicht die Mühe machen, mich auf eine solche Diskussion einzulassen. Aber wie die Dinge liegen, werde ich einfach an etwas anderes denken, während Sie weiter vor sich hin plappern.

We seldom learn much from someone with whom we agree.

We usually learn from debates that we seldom learn from debates.

Who am I?? I'm a person who was scammed by somebody and who scammed people - First! (Don't worry that's my past! Everyone have such past do they??) I'm the guy who was punched and kicked in School when we are talking about this (This reminds me for some films like Monk - check out he in school (his past!)) I'm the guy who follow the crowd, what I found was horrible that I went in a place where most people play the games which other play like "League of Legends" - outside and home all they talking about this game which one round takes 60 minutes. I'm now 2016 year in school and still listening about the football what has happen, who has played, who has won, who has won privious round, which is the best team and I'm sure that I'm genius because of listening this discussion. I can say it from here.... I'm just ironic, I don't like football, logicaly I don't like to listen => so I don't like to watch why?? You must find out!

You have something important to add, so you interrupt an exciting conversation already in progress just to let us know you have nothing to contribute to the discussion. Umm....” — Troy Ragland

You must be able to say "I understand," before you can say "I agree," or "I disagree," or "I suspend judgment.

A good day for Barack Obama is anytime the dominant topic of discussion is anything but the economy.

As a filmmaker, you are constantly having the discussion with your team about whether something is "relatable".

A good discussion increases the dimensions of everyone who takes part.

Although feelings are not supposed to intrude on business discussions, they do anyway - we just disguise them as logic.

America deserves a real discussion about real policy.