15 Quotes by Tania Israel

It’s more important to simply be present than to be brilliant.

People’s tendency to believe that people on their side are motivated by love, and people on the other side are motivated by hate appears to be at the root of some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.

We might not end up agreeing on substantive policy or values, but we could humanize rather than demonize those with whom we disagree, we could exchange ideas respectfully, we could deepen our understanding of ourselves and each other.

There’s a deep humility in listening because the focus is more on understanding the other person than on saying everything that comes into your mind.

You may feel like engaging with people across political lines is a zero-sum game in which there’s no way for both people to win. If you believe that one of you must lose, you will either avoid participating in dialogue or you will try to win it, which will prevent successful dialogue. Dialogue isn’t about winning. It’s about understanding.

Ask questions from a place of curiosity rather than judgment. Don’t try to lure someone into saying something inconsistent or incorrect and then leaping on them with a ‘gotcha’ – it won’t help anything, and it’s disrespectful.

If you really want to connect, understand, or persuade, the most effective comment is an invitation to set up a time to talk via video or in person and then approach the conversation with curiosity and listening.

Dialogue isn’t about winning. It’s about understanding.

Just because you can have dialogue doesn’t mean you must in every situation. It’s an opportunity, not a mandate.