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About this quote

What does it mean?
He watches her from below, noticing her fear and hesitation, and asks what she sees from above.
In plain terms
He observes her anxiety and seeks to understand her perspective.
What can you take from it?
Understanding others' viewpoints requires listening to their fears.

Where it applies

  • interpersonal communication
  • conflict resolution

Putting it to work

  • ask open questions
  • notice non‑verbal cues

Questions to consider

  • How can we better gauge someone's inner state?
  • What does asking reveal about us?

Another view

He may misinterpret her actions without full context.

More from Robert Frost

  1. He moves in darkness as it seems to me, Not of woods only and the shade of trees. He will not go behind his father's saying, And he likes having thought of it …

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  2. She let him look, sure that he wouldn't see, Blind creature; and awhile he didn't see. But at last he murmured, 'Oh,' and again, 'Oh.'

    Permalink to quote #96
  3. Before I built a wall I'd ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offence. Something there is that doesn't love a wall…

    Permalink to quote #93

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