100 Communication Quotes To Remind You How Powerful It Is

In order to build and maintain strong relationships, whether in your personal or professional life, it’s crucial to practice open and honest communication but the reality is that for many of us it’s much easier said than done.

Learning to communicate effectively offers opportunities for cultivating self-awareness, building trust and it can be used as a strategy for conflict resolution.

Like any important life skill, good communication is something we can all improve with practice. If you need some inspiration to give yourself permission to express yourself fully, these communication quotes will remind you of how important a tool it is.

Communication quotes

Good communication skills will bring you closer to achieving your vision of success than anything else you ever choose to invest in, and they will help you in all areas of your life.

From some of the world’s greatest thinkers, artists and philosophers, these communication quotes will remind you of how meaningful an action it is and just how impactful can be.

The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.

TONY ROBBINS

The whole problem is to establish communication with ones self.

E. B. WHITE

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.

ROLLO MAY

But good healthy communication is impossible without openness, honesty, and vulnerability.

PAUL KENDALL

A word to the wise is infuriating.

HUNTER S. THOMPSON

I'm a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're interested in.

BILL GATES

A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language.

NOAM CHOMSKY

The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.

MAYA ANGELOU

It’s important to make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.

BARACK OBAMA

We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.

ZENO OF CITIUM

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.

PETER DRUCKER

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.

PLATO

Communication is the solvent of all problems and is the foundation for personal development.

PETER SHEPHERD

I know I am talking nonsense, but I’d rather go rambling on, and partly expressing something I find it difficult to express, than to keep on transmitting faultless platitudes.

THOMAS MANN

There is only one rule for being a good talker – learn to listen.

CHRISTOPHER MORLEY

Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.

ROBERT FROST

The first problem of communication is getting people's attention.

CHIP HEATH

The less people know, the more they yell.

SETH GODIN

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT

I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening.

LARRY KING

Relationship communication quotes

We all want to feel heard and seen by our partners but not everyone is a natural and gifted communicator. You've probably heard that communication can either make or break a relationship which highlights why it's so important to invest time and energy in enhancing our capacities.

These relationship quotes about communication will motivate you to strive for better and probably melt your heart a little.

I think for any relationship to be successful, there needs to be loving communication, appreciation, and understanding.

MIRANDA KERR

A beautiful thing happens when we start paying attention to each other. It is by participating more in your relationship that you breathe life into it.

STEVE MARABOLI

The first duty of love is to listen.

PAUL TILLICH

When we don’t tell those we love about what’s really going on or listen carefully to what they have to say, we tend to fill in the blanks with stories.

SHARON SALZBERG

No relationship can survive without trust, honesty, and communication, no matter how close you are.

J. STERLING

My belief is that communication is the best way to create strong relationships.

JADA PINKETT SMITH

When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY

Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.

STEPHEN COVEY

Emotional awareness is necessary so you can properly convey your thoughts and feelings to the other person.

JASON GOLDBERG

Great communication begins with connection. 

OPRAH

It is the encounters with people that make life worth living.

EMMA THOMPSON

Lack of communication quotes

Lack of communication can be costly. Too often, it leads to a host of problems, like stress and distrust, which only breeds more negativity. Not surprisingly, it’s one of the main reasons behind many break-ups.

Do you have poor communication in your relationship? Read through these quotes to find out what lack of communication means, what to look out for, and reflect on how you can do better.

A lack of communication leaves fear and doubt.

KELLAN LUTZ

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

Lack of communication, the refusal of some to understand, or outright refusal to learn about other human beings is based on fear. Fear is what keeps people apart.

PIRI THOMAS

Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating.

CHARLIE KAUFMAN

Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid. 

FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY

Communication works for those who work at it.

JOHN POWELL

Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn't listening.

EMMA THOMPSON

The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.

J. B. PRIESTLEY

Business communication quotes

A business leader must be an impeccable communicator in a multitude of different relationships, from clients to employees. When all members of an organization have a clear sense of direction, there is typically more team engagement which drives better results.

If you’re looking to enhance productivity in the workplace or build trust within your team, let these business communication quotes inspire you to hone your skills.

Simple and to the point is always the best way to get your point across.

GUY KAWASAKI

The key to handling problems and conflict within an organization is to keep the channels of communication wide open.

ANITA RODDICK

The art of communication is the language of leadership. 

JAMES HUMES

In many ways, effective communication begins with mutual respect, communication that inspires, encourages others to do their best.

ZIG ZIGLAR

Communication is your ticket to success if you pay attention and learn to do it effectively.

THEO GOLD

The effectiveness of communication is not defined by the communication, but by the response.

MILTON ERICKSON

Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.

ANNE MORROW LINDBERGH

The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.

EDWARD R. MORROW

Think as a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.

WILLIAM YEATS

Effective communication quotes

Life offers us so many opportunities to practice effective communication on a daily basis, whether it’s in the workplace, at home with your partner or with a stranger on the street.

Being able to convey a message, thought or feeling effectively starts with tuning in and really listening to others when they speak. It also involves becoming familiar with non-verbal communication and requires a good amount of assertiveness.

These quotes will encourage you to keep practicing effective communication every chance you get.

To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.

TONY ROBBINS

Be sincere; be brief; be seated.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT.

The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.

MARK TWAIN

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

STEPHEN COVEY

Communication is power. Those who have mastered its effective use can change their own experience of the world and the world's experience of them. All behavior and feelings find their original roots in some form of communication.

TONY ROBBINS

I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Who you are is speaking so loudly that I can't hear what you're saying.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Great speakers are not born, they’re trained.

DALE CARNEGIE

Positive and inspirational communication quotes

By being open and honest in our communication with others, we’re able to build trust with each other, which typically leads to more fulfilling relationships and experiences.

Great communicators have one thing in common: they listen. If you too want to become an excellent communicator, these quotes will inspire you to brush up on your skills.

The best way to solve problems and to fight against war is through dialogue.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

We always speak well when we manage to be understood.

MOLIERE

First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.

EPICTETUS

If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

ISAAC NEWTON

 When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.

ZIG ZIGLAR

Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.

RUDYARD KIPLING

The ability to listen is as important as the ability to speak. Miscommunication is always a two way street.

SHARON SANDBERG

Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides.

RITA MAE BROWN

We speak not only to tell other people what we think, but to tell ourselves what we think. Speech is a part of thought.

OLIVER SACKS

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.

MARK TWAIN

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. 

MOTHER TERESA

How would your life be different if… You pretended those around you were deaf to your words? Let today be the day... You let your actions speak and communicate your feelings and intentions.

STEVE MARABOLI

When we learn to speak, we learn to translate. -

OCTAVIO PAZ

When we change the way we communicate, we change society.

CLAY SHIRKY

To communicate through silence is a link between the thoughts of man.

MARCEL MARCEAU

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't being said. The art of reading between the lines is a lifelong quest of the wise.

SHANNON L. ALDER

Many can argue - not many converse.

AMOS BRONSON ALCOTT

Writing and cookery are just two different means of communication.

MAYA ANGELOU (MORE MAYA ANGELOU QUOTES)

Nonverbal communication is an elaborate secret code that is written nowhere, known by none, and understood by all.

EDWARD SAPIR

“Our hearts are not stones. A stone may disintegrate in time and lose its outward form. But hearts never disintegrate. They have no outward form, and whether good or evil, we can always communicate them to one another.

HARUKI MURAKAMI

Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.

ROY T. BENNETT

Reading is that fruitful miracle of  communication in the midst of solitude.

MARCEL PROUST

You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.

M. SCOTT PECK

When you give yourself permission to communicate what matters to you in every situation you will have peace despite rejection or disapproval. Putting a voice to your soul helps you to let go of the negative energy of fear and regret.

SHANNON L. ALDER

Only through communication can human life hold meaning.

PAULO FREIRE

Honest, open communication is the only street that leads us into the real world... We then begin to grow as never before. And once we are on this road, happiness cannot be far away.

JOHN POWELL

If you wish to converse with me, define your terms.

VOLTAIRE

Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow.

LAWRENCE CLARK POWELL

Communication quotes to inspire your team at work 

Good communication between all members of a team is vital to success, but the truth is communication isn’t exactly the easiest skill to develop. 

The good news is, just like any skill, it’s possible to improve with practice. If you’re looking to motivate your team, they might find some inspiration in these quotes about communication.

I motivate players through communication, being honest with them, having them respect and appreciate your ability and your help.

TOMMY LASORDA

Communication is the real work of leadership.

NITIN NOHRIA

All communication must lead to change.

ARISTOTLE

Communication is the sister of leadership.

JOHN ADAIR

We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share.

RANIA AL-ABDULLAH

The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeable, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.

SYDNEY J. HARRIS

Only as we keep an open communication with our deep inner life will we have the wisdom to make effective choices.

STEPHEN COVEY

The tongue is the only instrument that gets sharper with use.

WASHINGTON IRVING

Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.

NAT TURNER

The limits of my language means the limits of my world.

LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN

Communication is a skill that you can learn.  It's like riding a bicycle or typing.  If you're willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.

BRIAN TRACY

The goal is to provide inspiring information that moves people to action.

GUY KAWASAKI

It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear.

ITALO CALVINO