Do actions REALLY speak louder than words?

[nan]

Do actions REALLY speak louder than words?

 

Just a question that I've been comtemplating for a while now.

 

When someone says one thing and does another, which should you believe?

 

Do you necessarily believe one over the other?

 

Or do you simply believe that they are seriously confused?

 

Do actions really show what you are feeling, or do words?

 

Any thoughts??

[moimeme]

Well what do you think? If someone keeps saying "I love you" but then beats you to a bloody pulp regularly, which do you believe? If someone says "I'll always love you" in the morning just before going off to see his mistress, what do you believe? People have to walk the talk; if their actions are incongruent with their words, then they are dishonest at best and some other things at worst.

[dyermaker]

.

[HokeyReligions]

My mother knew that smoking was a health risk. She told me not to smoke, but she smoked. I followed her actions and not her words and I started smoking when I was 12. If I had really listened to her words and not her actions I wouldn't have suffered through quitting -- several times.

 

Yes, I'd say action speaks louder than words. I've been trying to think of a scenario where it would be the opposite, but I just can't think of one. Maybe someone else can.

 

Kinda goes along with "Lead by example"

[quankanne]

monkey see, monkey do ....

 

people mimic the actions of others; actions have more meaning than do words because words -- spoken or written -- can easily be ignored. Action is a much harder thing to ignore.

[imokurnot]

Sometimes there are influences that may not allow you (because your not strong enough or whatever) to take the action you may want to take. Sometimes my ex thinks it's too hard to come back because she has made me out to be such a villian to all her friends and family. But then again they always vote with their feet in the end. If they want to be with us or whatever scenario your thinking of, they will. If we want something bad enough we will do whatever it takes to be with that person or whatever it may be. If the interest level or desire of the person for their stated goal is strong enough they will follow through. People would climb the wall to escape Communism in Eastern bloc countries before the wall came down because their interest level in freedom was high enough to do it. Sometimes the words people use may be in fact more true than their actions. If their interest level or strength level isn't high enough for them to do whatever it may be that they profess the want to do, then it wouldn't last very long anyway. But 99.7% of the time peoples actions speak much louder than their words.

[alphamale]

you always put much more weight on what people do vs. what they say.

 

talk is cheap...

[Losther]

Put some thougth in this. Interesting question..

 

I guess I see two scenerios. One where they know what they're saying and they know what their doing is totally opposite. The other where they say one thing and don't know that their actions aren't perceived that way. Either because you two have differnt beleifs on what he said or jut cuz he's misinformed.

 

If it is the former then you have to look at their actions, because it's one thing to say soemthign you'll do but then when you have the oppurtunity, knowinngly do soemthing different.

 

If it is the latter than you have to look at the totality of the situation. Maybe you have to communticate w/ the person that you don't beleif that what they do demonstrates what they say. Then maybe the person will see it and change their actions or their words or maybe they'll hear you and say that is what I thought I was was doing. Then you'll know you heve a difference in beleifs.

[Mr Spock]

Do as I say, not as I do. Dunno. If the person never keeps their word then those words mean nothing.