Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom.

— Proverb

I wash my hands of those who imagine chattering to be knowledge, silence to be ignorance, and affection to be art.

— Kahlil Gibran

I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strangely, I am ungrateful to these teachers.

— Khalil Gilbran

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

— Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

Your very silence shows you agree.

— Euripides

True friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable.

— Dave Tyson Gentry

Don’t talk unless you can improve the silence.

— Anonymous

Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.

— Martin Fraquhar Tupper

Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage.

— Publilius Syrus, Maxims (100 BC)

I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.

— Publilius Syrus, Maxims (100 BC)

The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.

— William Shakespeare

See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…we need silence to be able to touch souls.

— Mother Teresa

Silence is as deep as eternity; speech, shallow as time.

— Thomas Carlyle

The most effective answer to an insult is silence.

— Unknown

It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to speak and remove all doubt.

— Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue

— Bible quotes

Be silent, or say something better than silence

— German Proverb

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

— Benjamin Franklin

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

— Dorothy Nevill

What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your mouth.

— Jewish Proverb

God gave us two ears but only one mouth.

— Unknown

You can’t learn anything with your mouth open.

— Earl Nightingale

Insight demands opening up your senses, talking less and listening more. I believe you can learn almost everything you need to know – and more than other people would like you to know – simply by watching, listening, and keeping your eyes peeled, your ears open, and your mouth closed.

— McCormack “What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School” (1984)

The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.

— Fran Leibowitz

It takes two to speak the truth — one to speak and another to hear.

— Henry David Thoreau

Feel free to substitue words where you see fit.

Anne Robinson