Below are just a few things that came to mind as I have been reading this thread as well as a couple of others lately.

"There are people who, instead of listening to what is being said to them, are already listening to what they are going to say themselves." — Albert Guinon

"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." ― Stephen R. Covey

"It's a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want to hear." — Dick Cavett

"There's a big difference between showing interest and really taking interest." — Michael P. Nichols

"Effective listeners remember that "words have no meaning - people have meaning." The assignment of meaning to a term is an internal process; meaning comes from inside us. And although our experiences, knowledge and attitudes differ, we often misinterpret each other's messages while under the illusion that a common understanding has been achieved." — Larry Barker

Greg