Miscommunication Quotes

“Words are the source of misunderstandings.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

“Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost.”
― Khalil Gibran

“TF-16 returned to Pearl Harbor on May 26 in good order, with one huge exception: Admiral Halsey, the sixty-year-old commander, arrived back completely exhausted and ill. After six months of intense underway operations, culminating in the fruitless 7000-mile mission across the Pacific to the Coral Sea and back, Halsey had lost twenty pounds and had contracted a serious case of dermatitis. Nimitz took one look at him and sent him straight to the Pearl Harbor hospital. The Navy’s most experienced and highly regarded carrier force commander would sit out the Battle of Midway. The ultimate sea warrior, Halsey would watch from his hospital window as the two task forces departed Pearl Harbor for Midway.”
― Dale A. Jenkins, Diplomats & Admirals: From Failed Negotiations and Tragic Misjudgments to Powerful Leaders and Heroic Deeds, the Untold Story of the Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Midway

“Yamamoto was considered, both in Japan and the United States, as intelligent, capable, aggressive, and dangerous. Motivated by his skill as a poker player and casino gambler, he was continually calculating odds on an endless variety of options. He played bridge and chess better than most good players. Like most powerful leaders he was articulate and persuasive, and once in a position of power he pushed his agenda relentlessly. Whether he would push his odds successfully in the Pacific remained to be seen.”
― Dale A. Jenkins, Diplomats & Admirals: From Failed Negotiations and Tragic Misjudgments to Powerful Leaders and Heroic Deeds, the Untold Story of the Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Midway

“Back in Washington, alone in the late afternoon of December 7, a chastened Franklin Roosevelt considered the situation.  He may have wondered how things had gone so terribly wrong.  But what might have been was now hindsight—the United States was at war and was in it to win. He spoke quietly to his secretary, Grace Tully. “Sit down, Grace. I’m going before Congress tomorrow. I’d like to dictate my message. It will be short.” ”
― Dale A. Jenkins, Diplomats & Admirals: From Failed Negotiations and Tragic Misjudgments to Powerful Leaders and Heroic Deeds, the Untold Story of the Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Midway

“… Exhausting climbs lay ahead. It was Sunday … May 17th … The path seemed to climb from dawn till dusk, the rain poured down nearly all day. The mud was worse than ever, and more slippery. Maggie, the elephant, was heavily laden, and at one time it seemed hopeless to expect her to struggle up those towering hills … as the light was going we reached the camp, we found it only a huddle of shelters already occupied on a hill-top 4000 ft high, across which a cold wind swept … Dr Russell”
― Elizabeth Tebby Germaine, EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORIES OF SURVIVAL IN BURMA WW2: tens of thousands fled to India from the Japanese Invasion in 1942

“Are the angels of her bed the angels
who come near me alone in mine?
Are the green trees in her window
the color is see in ripe plums?
If she always sees backward
and upside down without knowing it
what chance do we have? I am haunted
by the feeling that she is saying
melting lords of death, avalanches,
rivers and moments of passing through,
And I am replying, "Yes, yes.
Shoes and pudding.”
― Jack Gilbert

“A steep hierarchy level can even lead to miscommunication or loss of information.”
― Pooja Agnihotri, 17 Reasons Why Businesses Fail :Unscrew Yourself From Business Failure

“When we are feeling low, we don’t even feel like taking bath. Although that is when we need bath the most.

When misunderstanding is at the peak in a relationship, we don’t feel like crying. Although that is when crying can help the most. We cry only when things have gone irreversibly wrong.”
― Shunya

“Cause she was a girl with good intentions
Yeah, she made some bad decisions
And she learned a couple lessons
Wish I could tell her
She was a girl with good intentions
Didn't need the second guessing
Didn't need to ever question
Wish I could tell her

She didn't know all of the hurt she could take
Her world was crumbling and so was her faith
Wish I could talk to her, 'cause what I would say
"Oh baby, you're enough to get you out of this place"
I know you'll get the chance, to find who you are
I know you'll have the choice, before it gets too dark
I know you'll get the chance to find who you are
I know you'll have the choice”
― EJR

“But she saw nothing in my eyes—she stared at me as though I had made a long journey on a white charger all the way to her prison house.”
― James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room

“What we say doesn’t always paint an accurate picture of what we mean. Sometimes the result is sort of abstract, open to misinterpretations. We use the colors and words on our present palette when others would paint a clearer picture.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year

“Why do you like me? Why can't you tell I'm not that into you?”
― Kristen Roupenian, You Know You Want This: Cat Person and Other Stories

“The only thing for sure we know about communication is that we tend to get it wrong.”
― Michael Ray Smith, Fake News, Truth-Telling and Charles M. Sheldon's Model of Accuracy: How a Clergyman Insisted on Accuracy as Job Number One

“He feels he has to accept their bond isn't as exalted as he believed. Just another ordinary relationship with niggling unspoken grudges, mistimed or inappropriate interventions, gross failures in code breaking, secret yearnings for escape, a growing litany of treasons and resentments.”
― Glenn Haybittle, In the Warsaw Ghetto

“Those who love you will understand your feelings even if you didn't use the right words to express them. Those who don't love you will misunderstand you even if you used the right words.”
― Shunya

“Two of the biggest problems with language is that you can say what you do not mean to say, and that you can say what you do not mean.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana, P for Pessimism: A Collection of Funny yet Profound Aphorisms

“They say that humans can read each other in a hundred subtle ways, in the briefest expressions of a face, but somehow, on that day, I had communicated with amazing efficiency the exact opposite of what I most wanted in the world.”
― Karen Thompson Walker, The Age of Miracles

“When words fail, then real language arrives, that rare guest.”
― Carolyn Chun, How to Break Article Noun

“Oh,” he said with resigned defeat. “Would you rather…have someone else? Please don’t say Blake. He’ll be impossible—”

“No, it’s—”

Ayden slapped his forehead. “Matthias.”

I choked. He raked his fingers through his hair and nodded. “Girls always go for the dark brooding one with the tortured past. Should’ve seen that coming”
― A. Kirk, Dark Demon Knights

“On three," I say.

"One, two, three, go or one, two, three?" Anakin asks.

Micah huffs. "On go."

I begin counting, "One, two, three—"

Anakin steps away and Micah screeches, "Dude, we said on go!”
― Rory Miles, Tainted Power - The Complete Series

“Weird." When she leans back into her chair, almost relived that I'm not offended by her viper wanting a little lesbian action, I try not to laugh. "Sorry, little viper, I've got enough people in my harem at the moment, but whenever a spot opens, I'll let Mara know."

She narrows her eyes at me and says, "No thanks.”
― Rory Miles, Tainted Power - The Complete Series

“What she tried to label honesty in his candour was probably only a cynical defiance of the laws of right and wrong.”
― Saki, The Unbearable Bassington

“What saved us from becoming hard-nosed or callous was that we really liked each other, while remaining totally mystified by each other.”
― Joyce Elbert, A Tale of Five Cities & Other Memoirs

“Are your bites infectious? A stray cat bit a servant at the Agam estate when I was young. She lost her whole arm."

Quinton's face rises, something like indignation flushing over him. "I am a prince of Massa'eve, not a stray cat, Kitterny.”
― Alex Lidell, Dragons' Bride

“My wife said you would be here,” he muttered lowly. “You and a boy … though I don’t think this counts as a boy.” He flicked a finger at Calder, who scoffed, the sound vibrating against my back.”
― Jane Washington, A Tempest of Shadows

“Wait for me"
"Cross my heart”
― Shae Ruby, Cross My Heart

“Why do humans use words that don’t mean what they actually mean?”
― Arabella Sveinsdottir, Do Not Be Afraid: A Whimsical Urban Fantasy About a Stranded Angel, a Hellhound Puppy, and a Second Chance on Earth

“They may have argued, but over the sixteen years they'd lived together, she'd done everything she could to protect Phoebe. She'd heard other people say they'd be willing to kill for their families. Well, Brigid actually had. And not once--- not once--- had she ever regretted it. You'd think that Phoebe would know Brigid always had her best interests at heart. Or at the very least would give her the benefit of the doubt. But nothing Brigid had ever done was enough to make Phoebe trust her. Thirty years had passed, and the bitch couldn't even be cordial.”
― Kirsten Miller, The Women of Wild Hill

“You thought I was answering "As you wish" but that's only because you were hearing wrong. "I love you" was what it was, but you never heard, and you never heard.”
― William Goldman, The Princess Bride