Imbued With Good Will

The Buddha said that there are five aspects of speech by which others may speak to us: "timely or untimely, true or false, affectionate or harsh, beneficial or unbeneficial, with a mind of good-will or with inner hate."

In these circumstances, we should train themselves by thinking: "Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic to that person's welfare, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading him with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning with him, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will—abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will."

In other words, when others are speaking to us we should strive to maintain a calm, clear mind and not allow our emotions to dictate our response. By maintaining a stable mind, we will not say anything that could harm the other person or create an enmity. Instead, we will respond with good will, not just for that individual but or all beings. 

~ Kakacupama Sutta quotes translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu