People silently struggle from all kinds of terrible things. They suffer from depression, ambition, substance abuse, and pretension. They suffer from family tragedy, Ivy-League educations, and self-loathing. They suffer from failing marriages, physical pain, and publishing. The good thing about politeness is that you can treat these people exactly the same. And then wait to see what happens. You don’t have to have an opinion. You don’t need to make a judgment. I know that doesn’t sound like liberation, because we live and work in an opinion-based economy. But it is. Not having an opinion means not having an obligation. And not being obligated is one of the sweetest of life’s riches.

I really enjoyed this part. Everybody has a story to tell that you can learn from. In conversation I avoid asking people what their job is or, if in school, what their major is. It's much more interesting to ask how they enjoy spending their time. If those two overlap, that's fine but I want to hear people gush about their passions, it's far more interesting.