"The dining room in my old house was truly magnificent, but by far the worst room for conversation. I'd get up from the table, a very long table, and somebody would always say, Paul, I never got to talk to you"

Paul Lynde's quote speaks to the problem of having meaningful discussions in a large dining-room. The size of the table, which he refers to as "very long," likely made it hard for everybody to hear each other and participate in significant dialogue. This is more compounded by the fact that the space was "splendid," most likely implying it was filled with beautiful designs and furnishings that might have been sidetracking. As a result, Paul would frequently leave the table without having had a possibility to speak to everyone. This quote speaks with the problem of having meaningful discussions in a large, ornate dining room, and the importance of producing an environment that motivates discussion.