I Wish I’d Said That
Enjoy these potent quotes about conflict resolution, authentic listening, and bringing people together.
“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict”. ~ William Ellery Channing
“We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed with us to those who have differed.” ~ Charles Caleb Colton
“Win/win is an attitude, not an outcome.” ~ Don Boyd
“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” ~ John Lubbock
“It is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” ~ Charles Darwin
“The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.” ~ Niels Bohr
“Resolving conflict is rarely about who is right. It is about acknowledgment and appreciation of difference.” ~ Thomas Crum
“The greatest compliment that was ever paid to me was when someone asked me what I thought and attended to my answer.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
“When the right question is asked it has more power than the answer.” ~ Steve Levitt
“Conflict can be seen as a gift of energy in which neither side loses and a new dance is created.” ~ Thomas Crum
“Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own.” ~ John M. Barrie
“I don’t like that man. I’m going to have to get to know him better.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“If I give you an idea, and you give me an idea, we will each have two ideas.” ~ West African Proverb
“Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional”. ~ Max Lucado
“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.” ~ William Ellery Channing
“We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” ~ John W. Gardner
“If two men on the same job agree all the time, then one is useless. If they disagree all the time, both are useless.” ~ Darryl F. Zanuck
“Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.” ~ Richard Bach
“An undefined problem has an infinite number of solutions.” ~ Robert A. Humphrey
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” ~ Bertrand Russell
“Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.” ~ Saul Alinsky
“The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” ~ M. Scott Peck
“If you speak when angry, you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.” ~ Ambrose Bierce
“Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.” ~ Frank Tyger
“Most of our so-called reasoning consists in finding arguments for going on believing as we already do.” ~ James Harvey Robinson
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” ~ Franklin Covey
“The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man’s observation, not overturning it.” ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton
“Don’t be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against, not with, the wind.” ~ Hamilton Mabie
“If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.” ~ Moshe Dayan
“Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance.” ~ Robert Quillen
“One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears by listening to them.” ~ Dean Rusk
“The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.” ~ Joseph Joubert
In-Accord fixes workplace conflict, provides professional coaching, and conducts training. Contact us if you need help.
Read Our Article entitled, “Putting People’s Words in Their Mouth”