Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.

Menninger treats listening not as passive reception but as an active, generative act. To be listened to is to be granted psychological “space” in which thoughts and feelings can take shape; the self becomes more coherent through being heard. The “magnetic” quality suggests that attentive listeners attract trust and intimacy, so we naturally move toward those who offer recognition without interruption or judgment. The final claim—“it creates us”—captures a relational view of identity: people do not merely express a finished self; they discover and expand it in dialogue. The quote thus elevates listening to an ethical and creative practice that fosters growth, connection, and healing.