Most non-New Yorkers, finding themselves within hearing range of strangers’ conversation, think it’s nice to pretend they didn’t hear. But many New Yorkers think it’s nice to toss in a relevant comment. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
Much of my work over the years has developed the premise that women’s styles of friendship and conversation aren’t inherently better than men’s, simply different. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
Sisters, to me, are fascinating because it is a unique connection of the coming together of connection and competition. The fact that you have these age differences is a built-in power struggle, and the fact that you’re all trying to get attention and resources from the same parents creates competition. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
I have two sisters; one is two years older, and one is eight years older. That helped me understand how completely different sister relationships can be. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
I think it is important to remember that there are so many different ways to be sisters. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
The trickiest thing about the double bind is that it operates imperceptibly, like shots from a gun with a silencer. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
The double bind lowers its boom on women in positions of authority, so those who haven’t yet risen to such positions have not yet felt its full weight. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
The Pavlovian view of women voters – ‘plug the words in, and they will respond’ – sends a chill down my spine because it sounds like an adaptation of something I have written about communication between the sexes: When a woman tells a man about a problem, she doesn’t want him to fix it; she just wants him to listen and let her know he understands. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
If you talk to your friends the way your parents talk, they will think you are stiff and odd. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
People vary. You change your style, your hair, and the way you dress. Talking differently will be a part of that. Deborah Tannen Read Quote
