Two ears. One mouth.

Have you heard the quote...

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak”?

Words often attributed to philosophers Epictetus or Zeno of Citium, it’s an idea suggesting we should spend more time listening and absorbing information to better understand others’ words, rather than dominating conversations.

In the Bible, similarly, James 1:19 says...

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

It’s something I’ve been guilty of.

We all have those moments, where a profound idea comes to our minds, but if we get too wrapped up in those words, we lose the ability to hear anything else. We let those words dominate our minds.

Jot them down. Don’t lose that thought, but also don’t lose the ability to listen to others!

If we let those words and ideas swirl in our heads exclusively, presumptions can be made before we even hear a counter-view. Without listening, we could misinterpret or completely miss the true message of the other person.

Ladies, in particular, think of how many times you’ve said, “Why can’t you just LISTEN, instead of always having an answer or a rebuttal!”

On behalf of men, I apologize. It’s honestly how we’re wired, since the beginning of time, as problem-solvers, but that’s a whole different discussion!

Back to the main point.

Speak to be heard, but don’t be too stubborn to not listen. Keep those two ears open. Open to listening, open to being educated and open to being corrected when wrong.

If nothing else, remember what Mom said growing up, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

Stop, slow down, breathe and LISTEN without prejudice. Maybe it’s true, that we were given two ears to our one mouth, so we could LISTEN twice as hard as we speak!