Quotes on Listening

I challenged my small group on Sunday to spend this week listening to God. Instead of our normal routine of talking to God, we agreed we would spend time listening. Doing some research for Sunday, I ran into these quotes on listening:

The first duty of love is to listen. -Paul Tillich

A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?

To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all true conversation. -Chinese Proverb

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen. -Ernest Hemingway

A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.