To be interesting, be interested

“We have two ears and one mouth.” - Epictetus

A few months back, I heard a podcast with Kevin Kelly, an author and co-founder of Wired magazine. One quote has stuck with me:

“The more you are interested in others, the more interesting they find you.

To be interesting, be interested.”

Such a simple concept.

There’s a very strong correlation between people I like to talk to and people that ask good questions. They generally bring two characteristics: 1) active listening skills and 2) insightful questions.

For me, these both require genuine curiosity to be sustainable. A stance of humility that acknowledges how little we know and how much we have to gain from keeping an open mind and asking the right questions.

Speaking of which, here’s a great question to pull out at the next dinner party: “What do you know better than anyone else in this room?” That can unlock a fascinating conversation!

For a few more ideas, here’s a list of other questions to consider.

“Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, stupid people already have all the answers.” - Socrates