Attentiveness Quotes
“When Mark Twain went out to the pasture to teach a mule the difference between “gee” and “haw” (that is, left and right), he began by giving the mule a friendly but solid whack on the rump with a two-by-four. When asked why he did this, he said, “The first thing you have to do to teach a mule anything is to get his attention.”
-Unknown
“You learn to love by loving, by paying attention and doing what one thereby discovers has to be done.”
-Aldous Leonard Huxley
“Genius is nothing but continued attention.”
-Claude Adrien Helvetius
“Restore your attention or bring it to a new level by dramatically slowing down whatever you’re doing.”
-Sharon Salzberg
“Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.”
-Booker T. Washington
“In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention.”
-Lou Holtz
“No matter what you’ve done for yourself or for humanity, if you can’t look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?”
-Lee Iacocca
“The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.”
-Alan Watts
“The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
-Henry Miller
“Those who are silent, self-effacing and attentive become the recipients of confidences.”
-Thornton Wilder
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”
-Jon Kabat-Zinn
“The highest ecstasy is the attention at its fullest.”
-Simon Weil
“Order is never observed; it is disorder that attracts attention because it is awkward and intrusive.”
-Eliphas Levi
“Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.”
-Jim Rohn
“There are many benefits to this process of listening. The first is that good listeners are created as people feel listened to. Listening is a reciprocal process – we become more attentive to others if they have attended to us.”
-Margaret J. Wheatley
“Wherever you are, be there totally.”
– Eckhart Tolle
“I envy paranoids; they actually feel people are paying attention to them.”
-Susan Sontag
How can you use Quotes?
- Start a discussion: Quotes can start a discussion about a character trait at the beginning of a meeting or the dinner table. You can ask questions about what it means, how they have seen the trait demonstrated in their own lives, or how they can develop it themselves.
- Provide a model: Quotes can provide a model of good character. When you read a quote from a famous person or historical figure, you show that people they admire also value the same character traits.
- Use quotes as writing/journal prompts: Ask them to write a short essay about a quote to help them think more deeply about its implications for their lives.
- Post quotes: You can post quotes where they will be seen/heard often – classroom, breakroom, lobby, dining room, email signatures, video bulletin boards, morning announcements, social media, etc.
- Read quotes aloud: You can read quotes aloud to your children during mealtimes, bedtime, or any other time you spend together.
- Make it fun: You can make it even more fun by incorporating games, activities, or crafts. Let children decorate signs with the quotes to hang in the classroom or a bedroom door. Record children saying it and post it on social media.