Always remember that it is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood: there will always be some who misunderstand you.
Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Misunderstanding is inevitable; some people will always interpret your words differently.
- In plain terms
- You cannot stop everyone from misinterpreting what you say.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept that miscommunication will happen.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you handle being misunderstood?
- Can you ever truly be clear?
Another view
Clear communication can reduce misunderstandings.
More from Karl Popper
There are all kinds of sources of our knowledge; but none has authority ... The fundamental mistake made by the philosophical theory of the ultimate sources of…
Permalink to quote #45 Darwinism is not a testable scientific theory, but a metaphysical research program.
Permalink to quote #47 I may illustrate this by two very different examples of human behaviour: that of a man who pushes a child into the water with the intention of drowning it; and…
Permalink to quote #44
Related quotes
No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.
Henry AdamsHenry Adams quote #31 The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is i…
Paul ValeryPaul Valery quote #1 Her words are trusty heralds to her mind.
John (dramatist) FordJohn (dramatist) Ford quote #1