Francois de La Rochefoucauld. (№ 427824)

One of the reasons that smart and pleasant interlocutors are so rare is the habit of most people to respond not to other people's judgments, but to their own thoughts. The one who is more cunning and more courteous tries to portray attention on his face, but his eyes and his whole appearance betray a lack of interest in what the other is saying, and an impatient desire to return to what he himself intends to say. Few understand that trying to please yourself is a bad way to please or convince another, and that only by knowing how to listen and respond can you be a good conversationalist.