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About this quote

What does it mean?
Thoreau states that truth requires both a speaker and a listener; communication is essential for truth to be recognized.
In plain terms
Truth needs someone to speak and someone to hear it.
What can you take from it?
Effective communication is vital for truth.

Where it applies

  • teaching
  • public speaking
  • conflict resolution

Putting it to work

  • active listening
  • clear articulation

Questions to consider

  • What happens when truth is unheard?
  • How can we ensure both sides engage?

Another view

Truth can exist without immediate acknowledgment.

More from Henry David Thoreau

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  3. My life has been the poem I would have writ, But I could not both live and utter it.

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