There is only one way to make people talk more than they care to. Listen. Listen with hungry earnest attention to every word. In the intensity of your attention, make little nods of agreement, little sounds of approval. You can’t fake it; You have to really listen. In a posture of gratitude. And it is such a rare and startling experience for them, such a boon to the ego, such a gratification of the self, to find a genuine listener, that they want to prolong the experience. And the only way to do that is to keep talking. A good listener is far more rare than an adequate lover. —Travis McGee from A Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald