If speech is silver, then silence is gold

The Bible says, “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace is counted wise, and he that shutheth his lips is esteemed as a man of understanding.”

This is a 19th century proverb. It emphasizes the importance of silence. In case one feels that silence will pay better dividends, one should restrain from talking, even if one is provoked to give a piece of mind.

This proverb also condemns empty speech. That’s why it says that speech is silver and silence is golden. Joseph Goldstein, a philosopher once vowed not to speak behind someone’s back. He discovered that 90% of his speech was eliminated which makes me wonder can we make our silence more useful to ourselves and to our planet. Silence doesn’t mean the state of thoughtlessness. The rich silence that is at the root of various plans and programs which brings peace and happiness to millions of people is golden.

It is a natural thing to like to hear your own voice, and people often talk too much. But remember, empty vessels make the most noise.

You might have seen when two friends meet they, the silence of their reunion fills their hearts with love, faith and affection for each other. Words are not needed.

If you are silent your concentration power increases and it helps you work more efficiently which results in better outcomes. It will surely help you reach the heights of success.

If you are silent you can observe the people around you better. It is said that Sardar Patel used to speak very little and instead listen to various points of others. Such a leader immediately after the independence achieved the miracle of welding various princely states into one nation.

You might have observed when your parents give you an angry look, you start behaving without a single word having been uttered. A look can speak louder than words!

It is said Couples who can listen to each other’s silence don’t need words to understand one another. The focus on silence is emphasized in the corporate world too – the word “silent” is an anagram of “listen” and without the former, one can’t achieve the latter. Actors such as Sanjeev Kumar & Jaya Bachchan who played mute in films like Koshish and to some extent in Sholay, have demonstrated the effective use of silence in lieu of dialogues.

So you can see how powerful silence can be! It can express a range of emotions like love, faith and affection. And at times anger and agony.

We all want gold because of its shine and beauty.  Similarly we need to possess a golden quality within us that is to speak less and listen more. A person is admired not only because of his ethics and values but also because of his silence which definitely speaks more than words.

I read these words in a blog written by Banashree Palit and I would love to share them with you- “If you have a speech of excellence, the better you teach. But when you have the power of silence, the higher you reach”

So be a good listener as your ears will never let you in trouble but your words may..