Quote of the day by Emperor Ashoka: “Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others”

Quote of the day by Emperor Ashoka: “Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others” (Image: Pexels)

• Ashoka urged listening to others' beliefs to foster empathy and understanding
• Listening is strength, not submission; it builds resilience and wisdom
• Enhance listening by pausing, questioning, and valuing diverse views.

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Emperor Ashoka the Great, one of history’s rare rulers who chose conscience over conquest, transformed power into a practice of compassion and left behind wisdom that still instructs humanity today. He once said, “Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others.”

That truth does not belong to a single voice, belief, or doctrine. Ashoka understood that societies fracture not because people disagree, but because they refuse to listen without preparing a rebuttal.

What does the quote mean?

Ashoka is not asking us to abandon our beliefs. He is asking us to suspend arrogance. To listen to another doctrine is not to dilute one’s own, but to test it against the wider human experience. Listening becomes a mirror, it reveals the strength of our convictions and the fragility of our assumptions.

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People often hear only to defend, to correct, or to dominate. Ashoka proposes a different way: Listening to understand, not to conquer. In doing so, he places empathy above ego and curiosity above fear. A society that listens, he implies, is harder to manipulate and slower to hate.

Lessons hidden in Ashoka’s wisdom

Listening is strength, not submission. Only the secure can afford to listen without fear of losing themselves.

Willingness matters more than agreement. You do not need to accept a belief to honour the humanity behind it.

Silence can be an ethical act. Choosing to listen rather than react creates space for understanding to emerge.

Diversity of thought is not chaos; it is resilience. A society that listens adapts, survives, and evolves.

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How to practise Emperor Ashoka’s wisdom

In an age of constant opinion, speed, and outrage, listening has become inconvenient. Ashoka’s words remind us that progress is not born from louder voices, but from deeper attention.

Pause before you respond; let understanding arrive before opinion.

Listen without rehearsing your reply while the other person is still speaking.

Ask questions to understand, not to challenge or correct.

Accept discomfort as part of growth; unease often signals learning.

Seek conversations that stretch your thinking, not just those that agree with you.

Separate listening from agreement; understanding does not require surrendering your beliefs.

Resist the urge to prove yourself right; prioritise being thoughtful over being victorious.

Recognise dignity in every voice, even when you disagree with the view expressed.

Practise silence as an ethical choice, not an absence of thought.

Remember that true wisdom grows when listening replaces the need to dominate.