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.