Ze o
of
Citium
was
a
a cie t
G eek
philosophe
who
fou ded
Stoicism
a ou d
300
BC
i
Athe s.
A
you g
ma
sits
i
a
c owded
meeti g,
liste i g
ca efully
while
othe s
ush
to
i te upt
o e
a othe .
Eve y
pa ticipa t
wa ts
to
make
a
poi t,
push
a
age da,
o
p ove
thei
i tellige ce.
The
you g
ma
says
almost
othi g
u til
the
e d,
whe
he
offe s
o e
obse vatio
that
cha ges
the
way
eve yo e
sees
the
discussio .By
choosi g
to
obse ve
befo e
speaki g,
he
avoids
the
t ap
that
catches
most
speake s:
eacti g
befo e
u de sta di g.
have
two
ea s
a d
o e
mouth,
so
we
should
liste
mo e
tha
we
say.”
simple
obse vatio
about
the
huma
body
ca ies
a
clea
message.
We
have
twice
as
ma y
o ga s
fo
taki g
i
i fo matio
as
we
have
fo
se di g
it
out.
The
quote
suggests
that
liste i g
is
ot
simply
waiti g
fo
you
tu
to
speak.
It
is
a
delibe ate
habit
that
should
guide
how
we
i te act
with
othe s.The
idea
still
matte s
because
speaki g
is
fast
a d
easy,
while
liste i g
equi es
patie ce,
humility,
a d
self-co t ol.
F om
a
Phoe icia
Shipw eck
to
the
Stoa
Poikile
The
sayi g
is
eco ded
i
Book
VII
of
Lives
a d
Opi io s
of
Emi e t
Philosophe s,
w itte
by
Dioge es
Laë tius
i
the
thi d
ce tu y
AD.
Acco di g
to
Laë tius,
the
stateme t
was
made
by
Ze o
of
Citium,
the
philosophe
who
fou ded
the
Stoic
school
a ou d
300
BC
i
Athe s.
Bo
i
Citium
o
the
isla d
of
Cyp us
a ou d
334
BC,
Ze o
was
a
me cha t
of
Phoe icia
desce t.
A ou d
the
age
of
30,
a
shipw eck
ea
the
coast
of
Attica
dest oyed
his
ca go
a d
left
him
st a ded
i
Athe s.I stead
of
givi g
i
to
his
fi a cial
loss,
Ze o
we t
to
a
bookselle .
The e,
he
discove ed
the
w iti gs
about
Soc ates
by
Xe opho
a d
asked
whe e
he
could
fi d
me
who
lived
like
Soc ates.
The
bookselle
poi ted
to
C ates
of
Thebes,
a
famous
Cy ic
philosophe
who
happe ed
to
be
passi g
by.
Ze o
became
his
stude t.Ze o
late
bega
teachi g
i
the
public
ma ket,
whe e
he
gathe ed
stude ts
at
the
Stoa
Poikile,
a
pai ted
colo ade
i
the
Athe ia
Ago a.
His
followe s
eve tually
became
k ow
as
Stoics.Acco di g
to
Laë tius,
Ze o
made
the
ema k
to
a
talkative
you g
ma
who
wa ted
to
speak
i
public
assemblies
without
fi st
u de sta di g
his
subject.
Ze o
used
the
simple
example
of
the
huma
head
to
challe ge
the
you g
ma ‘s
desi e
to
speak
too
much.Simila
ve sio s
of
the
idea
appea
elsewhe e
i
the
a cie t
wo ld.
Epictetus,
a
late
Roma
Stoic,
eco ded
a
simila
stateme t
i
his
Discou ses.
The
G eek
w ite
Pluta ch
also
att ibuted
a
compa able
ema k
to
the
Spa ta
ki g
Theopompus.
The
Stoic
Discipli e
of
Liste i g
Fo
Ze o
a d
late
Stoics,
the
idea
of
liste i g
was
co ected
to
the
Stoic
co cept
of
kataleptike
pha tasia,
o
the
“comp ehe di g
imp essio .”
Stoics
believed
that
befo e
a
pe so
made
a
judgme t
o
took
actio ,
they
should
fi st
eceive
a
clea
pictu e
of
eality
without
allowi g
bias
o
emotio
to
disto t
it.Speaki g
too
quickly
b i gs
pe so al
ego
i to
the
situatio .
Liste i g
c eates
a
pause
betwee
what
happe s
a d
how
we
espo d.
That
pause
gives
easo
time
to
exami e
the
facts
befo e
fo mi g
a
opi io .I
a cie t
Athe s,
democ atic
assemblies
valued
debate,
heto ic,
a d
pe suasive
speech.
Speake s
who
could
i flue ce
a
c owd
had
g eat
political
powe .
Ze o’s
focus
o
quiet
obse vatio
challe ged
this
cultu e
of
co sta t
speaki g
a d
public
pe fo ma ce.He
saw
excessive
talki g
as
a
sig
of
u developed
thi ki g.
By
p ese ti g
liste i g
as
a
active
choice,
Stoicism
made
a
clea
disti ctio
betwee
hea i g
a d
t uly
liste i g.
Hea i g
is
a
automatic
physical
espo se.
Liste i g
equi es
atte tio
a d
delibe ate
thought.This
idea
co ti ued
th ough
late
pe iods
of
classical
thought.
It
i flue ced
w ite s
such
as
Michel
de
Mo taig e,
who
a gued
i
his
16th-ce tu y
essays
that
eal
co ve satio
equi es
e ough
sile ce
fo
a othe
pe so ‘s
ideas
to
be
p ope ly
co side ed.
P actici g
Sile ce
i
a
Age
of
Noise
I
mode
p ofessio al
a d
social
life,
the
system
ofte
ewa ds
co sta t
self-exp essio .
Social
media
algo ithms,
24-hou
ews
cycles,
a d
fast-movi g
wo kplace
meeti gs
favo
people
who
eact
quickly
a d
speak
loudly.Yet
mode
esea ch
i
psychology
a d
o ga izatio al
behavio
suppo ts
pa ts
of
Ze o’s
basic
idea.
Studies
discussed
by
the
Ha va d
Busi ess
Review
o
executive
pe fo ma ce
suggest
that
leade s
who
p actice
active
liste i g
ca
build
g eate
t ust,
educe
mistakes,
a d
esolve
wo kplace
co flicts
mo e
effectively
tha
those
who
domi ate
co ve satio s.I
healthca e,
the
value
of
liste i g
is
especially
clea .
The
diag ostic
p ocess
depe ds
o
docto s
u de sta di g
what
patie ts
a e
expe ie ci g.
Resea ch
published
i
The
Ame ica
Jou al
of
Medici e
fou d
that
physicia s
ofte
i te upt
patie ts
withi
a
ave age
of
11
to
18
seco ds
afte
they
begi
speaki g.Whe
docto s
allow
patie ts
to
speak
without
i te uptio
fo
two
mi utes,
diag ostic
accu acy
ca
imp ove
while
u ecessa y
testi g
ca
dec ease.Mode
egotiatio
methods,
i cludi g
those
developed
by
fo me
FBI
egotiato
Ch is
Voss
th ough
his
wo k
o
tactical
empathy,
also
t eat
liste i g
as
mo e
tha
simple
polite ess.
Liste i g
becomes
a
way
to
gathe
i fo matio .By
payi g
close
atte tio
to
a
pe so ‘s
to e,
wo d
choice,
a d
hidde
co ce s,
egotiato s
ca
lea
impo ta t
i fo matio
that
agg essive
speaki g
might
hide.Ze o’s
obse vatio
emai s
p actical
because
huma
biology
has
ot
cha ged
si ce
he
taught
at
the
pai ted
po ch
i
Athe s.Commu icatio
cha els
may
have
multiplied,
but
the
basic
desig
of
the
huma
head
emai s
the
same:
two
ea s
a d
o e
mouth.