Introduction

Sentence 001
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Sentence 100

A one-act play that replaces the words that go out

Whenever people have difficulties, they look for ways in books.
100 carefully selected conversations by introverted used bookstore owner Seong-geun Yoon.

Between someone who can carry on a conversation without hesitation and someone whose mind goes blank before even speaking, who worries more about "conversation"? It's only natural to worry more when things don't go well.
The more introverted a person is, the more they tend to be at a loss for words when it comes to people, and the more they tend to look into conversations, communication, and relationships.
Whether the intention of the words was properly conveyed, whether I understood the other person's words correctly, and how to naturally exchange sincerity.
At the end of a conversation that often leaves misunderstandings and hurt feelings, thoughts become deeper.
I wonder what a good conversation, a true communication, is.

There is a person who searched through countless books to find the answer and collected 100 sentences.
This is the author of this book, Seong-geun Yoon.
Author Seong-geun Yoon, who has been running a fun bookstore called "Alice's Bookstore" for over 20 years and is also an essayist who has published stories from used books, confesses that he is an extremely introverted person.
I've met countless people while running a bookstore, but I still find it difficult to talk to them comfortably.
As an introvert who often finds books more comfortable than people, he has carefully selected sentences that we can all use as touchstones for conversation and communication.

In fact, the sentences about conversation left by great writers do not contain things like 'how to have a good conversation' or 'skills for successful communication.'
Rather, it is full of deep reflections that make us look back on the attitude and posture of past conversations.
While I was guarding an empty used bookstore alone, I had a hard time talking to people, and the book said this to me in return.
Conversation is ultimately about facing the other person and providing a space for that encounter.
Whether it be others, yourself, or nature.

Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Pessoa, Benjamin, Lee Seong-bok…
The essence of conversation that illuminates the true meaning of communication

When having a conversation, don't you sometimes feel anxious, wanting to get to the point quickly? Poet Lee Seong-bok tells us this.
“You should always try to reach the unspeakable through the little things.
“Good things are always unspoken.” If you just blurt out words and then quickly accept them, then perhaps it’s not really a conversation, but rather an exchange.
A good conversation is only possible when we examine even the smallest details that cannot be expressed in words.
This time, let's hear Benjamin's words. "A person who is truly in love is delighted when their lover makes absurd remarks during an argument." Just as a sudden, abrupt remark amidst a serious conversation can provide a refreshing breath of fresh air, author Yoon Seong-geun has crafted this book with a wide range of insight and humor.


Like the mad tea party in Alice in Wonderland, where each character spouts nonsense and puns, perhaps we are all just talking nonsense in our own worlds.
Everyone has a different way of communicating, and those small differences can cause big wounds.
But it is at that point, the book says, that a real conversation can begin.
“Confronting each other’s differences and differences and working to reconcile and coordinate them” is what dialogue is.
When that happens, the scene that seemed to be full of nothing but nonsense transforms into a free playground that stimulates each other's imagination and expands the world.
This strange world, which seemed impossible to communicate with, actually holds countless possibilities for conversation.

So, there's no need to be sad that perfect communication is impossible.
Because it can never be perfect, the conversation can paradoxically continue.
The conversation continues as we face the other person, holding in our hands the possibility of a thread of conversation.
As is clearly revealed in the one-act play 'Dialogue-Happening' added by author Seong-geun Yoon to replace the words at the end of this book.
The image of two people continuing a conversation that has already begun while waiting for the end of a conversation that can never end is exactly like us.
This book offers a thorough exploration of the true value and meaning of conversation, building on the profound sentences of great writers.