John Liew

“This distinction also helps us to understand why men commonly interrupt a woman when she is talking about a problem. This interruption generally occurs in an intimate relationship when a woman is not looking to solve a problem but instead is talking in order to feel better or closer to her partner.”
― John Gray, Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship Skills for Today's Complex World

“I borrowed the term from a particular American Indian tradition. When a bride married her husband, her mother told her that after marriage, at the end of the day, a man would withdraw into his cave. At those times, don’t go in his cave or you will be burned by his dragon. She was referring of course to a man’s anger.”
― John Gray, Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship Skills for Today's Complex World

“When a woman is upset about something, men either want to suggest a solution (which is why they interrupt) or encourage her to forget it, and while she is talking about it, they can do neither. But there’s another reason men often interrupt women when they are upset and talking about a problem: they incorrectly interpret her strong emotional reaction to moderate external stress. A man wrongly assumes that if a woman is getting upset then it is because she can’t solve her problems on her own. He interprets her stronger emotional response as an urgent need for help, and then tries to give it.”
― John Gray, Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship Skills for Today's Complex World

“Similarly, if he is watching a game to forget his problems but his wife disapproves of his actions, the feeling that he is letting her down can prevent him from rebuilding his testosterone levels.”
― John Gray, Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship Skills for Today's Complex World