100 Silence Quotes And Sayings

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

silence quotes sayings wisdom

The BEST silence quotes.

I’ve been collecting them for the last 10+ years.

Why?

Because silence is something we should all embrace.

But most people are afraid of it.

Once you learn to accept and love silence, you discover the benefits:

  • You feel calmer
  • You see your true self
  • You need less stimulation to be happy

In our modern world, if you can feel relaxed in chaos and silence, it means you found some inner peace.

And with practice (meditation, nature walks, etc.), you can become even more peaceful.

In this article, you’ll discover quotes by the wisest sages: Gandhi, Confucius, Einstein, Thoreau, and more.

I hope you’ll enjoy them!

silence quotes sleep nourishes wisdom francis bacon wisdom

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom. Francis Bacon

Listen to silence. It has so much to say. Rumi

The quieter you become the more you are able to hear. Rumi

There was a brief silence. I think I heard snow falling. Erich Segal

All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone. Blaise Pascal

Saying nothing sometimes says the most. Emily Dickinson

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. Mahatma Gandhi

When you have nothing to say, say nothing. Charles Caleb Colton

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silence quotes fool known speech wise man pythagoras wisdom

A fool is known by his speech; and a wise man by silence. Pythagoras

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. Albert Einstein

In the silence behind what can be heard lies the answers we have been searching for for so long. Andreas Fransson

Speech is silver, silence is golden. Thomas Carlyle

The good and the wise lead quiet lives. Euripides

Silence is a source of great strength. Lao Tzu

Inner silence is the mother of all talents. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

I, schooled in misery, know many purifying rites, and I know where speech is proper and where silence. Aeschylus

The closer you are to the truth, the more silent you become inside. Naval Ravikant

silence quotes noise creates illusion truth maxime lagace wisdom

Noise creates illusions. Silence brings truth. Maxime Lagacé

In human intercourse the tragedy begins, not when there is misunderstanding about words, but when silence is not understood. Henry David Thoreau

I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me. Albert Einstein

Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak – and speak in such a way that people will remember it. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

I’ve begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own. Chaim Potok

Silence is true wisdom’s best reply. Euripides

The more you understand silence, that’s where the balance comes. Rick Rubin

Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I am in, therein to be content. Helen Keller

Silence is so freaking loud. Sarah Dessen

There is something terribly wrong with a culture inebriated by noise and gregariousness. George Steiner

The things that we understand, create silence. The things that we do not, create emotion. Kapil Gupta

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silence quotes there were little more kept quiet federico fellini wisdom

If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet… maybe we could understand something. Federico Fellini

Silence is sometimes the best answer. Dalai Lama

I think the first virtue is to restrain the tongue; he approaches nearest to gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right. Cato The Elder

People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul. Carl Jung

Don’t waste words on people deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all. Mandy Hale

In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and see how the pattern improves. Rumi

Now all my teachers are dead except silence. W. S. Merwin

Talk, talk, talk: the utter and heartbreaking stupidity of words. William Faulkner

Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly. Epictetus

Silence is a true friend who never betrays. Confucius

Related

Watch this video: 24 Life Quotes with Inspiring and Relaxing Music

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More Quotes About Silence

silence quotes time most luxurious tom ford wisdom

Time and silence are the most luxurious things today. Tom Ford

As far as I’m concerned, I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue. Albert Einstein

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Martin Luther King Jr

Silence is the wit of fools. Anatole France

Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence. Leonardo da Vinci

Without great solitude no serious work is possible. Pablo Picasso

Speak only if it improves upon the silence. Mahatma Gandhi

Silence is more eloquent than words. Thomas Carlyle

I often regret that I have spoken; never that I have been silent. Publilius Syrus

The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause. Mark Twain


silence quotes stillness benefits action words lao tzu wisdom

Stillness benefits more than action. Silence benefits more than words. Lao Tzu

As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence. Benjamin Franklin

Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer. Muhammad Ali

It is not easy to keep silent when silence is a lie. Victor Hugo

You have a grand gift for silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion. Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)

Talk doesn’t cook rice. Chinese proverb

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together. Thomas Carlyle

A sage thing is timely silence, and better than any speech. Plutarch

Be silent or let thy words be worth more than silence. Pythagoras

We need silence to be able to touch souls. Mother Teresa

The best cure for the body is a quiet mind. Napoleon Bonaparte

Silence, healing. Heraclitus

Silence is safer than speech. Epictetus

RelatedWhy Silence Is So Good For Your Brain (huffingtonpost.ca)

silence quotes found nothing better world talmud wisdom

I have found nothing better than silence in this world. If a word costs one coin, then silence costs two. The Talmud

What’s quiet is more powerful than you think. Maxime Lagacé

Silence is more musical than any song. Christina Rossetti

Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man. Iain Duncan Smith

The quiet mind is richer than a crown. Robert Greene

Speech is of time, silence is of eternity. Thomas Carlyle

Noise: a stench in the ear. Ambrose Bierce

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone. Alan Watts

Silence is the mother of truth. Benjamin Disraeli

To hear, one must be silent. Ursula K. Le Guin

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silence quotes quiet rare sign value ryan holiday wisdom

That quiet is so rare is a sign of its value. Seize it. We can’t be afraid of silence, as it has much to teach us. Seek it. Ryan Holiday

Sound is our mind, silence is our being. Osho

He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words. Elbert Hubbard

Listening to the eternal involves a silence within us. Thomas Raymond Kelly

Silence is therapeutic, nurture your soul in solitude. Yogi Ramdas (Source)

By silence, I hear other men’s imperfections and conceal my own. Zeno

Silence and meditation makes room for the inner voice to speak. Lex Fridman (Source)

Silence is interesting. It can show confusion, indifference and sadness. But it can also show determination, confidence and caring. Maxime Lagacé

Some of the greatest battles will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul. Ezra Taft Benson

The hardest and most important battle you’ll deliver is when you’ll be alone. Will you follow the crowds or will you follow that little voice inside yourself? Maxime Lagacé

Within each of us, there is silence. A silence as vast as the universe. And when we experience that silence, we remember who we are. Gunilla Norris

silence quotes gives answers rumi wisdom

Silence gives answers. Rumi

Silence is the eternal duty of man. Thomas Carlyle

I need to be alone. I need to ponder my shame and my despair in seclusion; I need the sunshine and the paving stones of the streets without companions, without conversation, face to face with myself, with only the music of my heart for company. Henry Miller

You can hear the footsteps of God when silence reigns in the mind. Sathya Sai Baba

Silence is an empty space, space is the home of the awakened mind. Buddha

Speaking comes by nature, silence by understanding. German proverb

If you’re asked: What is the silence? Respond: It is the first stone of the Wisdom’s temple. Pythagoras

Silence is only frightening to people who are compulsively verbalizing. William S. Burroughs

Silence gives us space to process our experiences and soak in our surroundings. Cati Vanden Breul

silence quotes attain peace self understanding maxime lagace wisdom

Attain peace with self-understanding. Attain self-understanding with silence. Maxime Lagacé

The world would be happier if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak. Baruch Spinoza

It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Nicholas Sparks

One must learn to be silent just as one must learn to talk. Virginia Woolf

Silence is foolish if we are wise, but wise if we are foolish. Charles Caleb Colton

I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The wiser you become, the more comfortable you are with silence. Maxime Lagacé

We’ve known about the transcendent power of solitude for centuries; it’s only recently that we’ve forgotten it. Susan Cain

Do you want to change the world? Then change yourself first. Do you want to change yourself? Then remain completely silent inside the silence-sea. Sri Chinmoy

Key Takeaways

  • Silence is what your ego hates but what your soul needs.
  • The ego is about lies. Silence is about truth.
  • You can’t hear yourself if you’re always busy. So stop, and listen.
  • The benefits of silence? (1, 2)
    • More self-knowledge
    • More creativity
    • More peace
  • A sign of wisdom? You listen more than you talk.

Further Readings

Hope you enjoyed these beautiful silence quotes. If you did, please share them with a friend today!

Do you consider yourself silent? What’s your favorite silence quote? What does “being silent” mean to you? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.

 

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Author Bio

maxime lagace

Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident.

In search of meaning, he dived in the self-improvement world, psychology and trail running.

Books, blogs, quotes and nature became his guide.

He started journaling, reflecting, writing his thoughts, feelings and quotes.

His goal was to understand his pain, his depression, his fears, his lack of motivation and inspiration.

He finished his software engineering degree in 2007 at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.

A few years later, he started his first website to share his love of quotes.

Maxime is a father of two, husband, and INFJ.

Other notable interests of Maxime are health (mental and physical), meditation, bananas, SEO, human potential, and education.

You can find him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Last update

September 7, 2023

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