We live in a noisy world. The distracting sounds all around us can contribute to uneasiness if we allow them to. Even pleasant sounds can pull us away from the personal growth and well-being that is available when we get quiet and turn within. Silence quotes serve as reminders that in quiet moments, there is great opportunity for insight.
The soft voice of our true inner nature speaks from the heart, not the head. To hear this voice entails a process of moving inward. First, we turn away from the outer noise. We then move past the inner noise of the critical, thinking mind. Finally, we arrive at the spaciousness of the heart, where we listen with the whole body and not just the ears. Let the following quotes about silence inspire deep, meditative listening.
50 Silence Quotes to Inspire Tranquility, Reflection, and Inner Peace
- "Silence is a true friend who never betrays." - Confucius
- "In the silence of the heart, God speaks." - Mother Teresa
- "Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom." - Francis Bacon
- "The quieter you become, the more you can hear." - Ram Dass
- "Silence is the most powerful scream." - Anonymous
- "Silence is a source of great strength." - Lao Tzu
- "Silence is the language of God; it is also the language of the heart." - Sivananda
- "It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart." - Mahatma Gandhi
- "The world is noisy. Be quiet." - Unknown
- "In silence, we often find solutions to problems we can't solve in any other way." - Eknath Easwaran
- "Silence is a true art; it teaches us to speak without words." - Unknown
- "Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves." - Thomas Carlyle
- "In the silence of love, you will find the spark of life." - Rumi
- "Let silence take you to the core of life." - Rumi
- "Silence is the sanctuary of the soul." - Lailah Gifty Akita
- "The quieter you become, the more you hear." - Unknown
- "Silence isn't empty; it's full of answers." - Unknown
- "Your silence will not protect you." - Audre Lorde
- "Silence is the ultimate weapon of power." - Charles de Gaulle
- "Silence is a true friend who never judges." - Unknown
- "Silence is the language of God; it speaks to the soul." - Rumi
- "Silence is a fence around wisdom." - German Proverb
- "Silence is the door to the soul." - Unknown
- "Silence is the music of the soul." - Unknown
- "Silence is the most powerful scream." - Unknown
- "Silence is the true friend that never betrays." - Confucius
- "In silence, we can find our inner truth." - Unknown
- "Silence is the best reply to a fool." - Unknown
- "Silence is the virtue of fools." - Francis Bacon
- "Silence is the mother of truth." - Benjamin Disraeli
- "Silence is the language of God." - Swami Sivananda
- "Silence is the genius of fools and one of the virtues of the wise." - Pope Boniface VIII
- "Silence is the language of the heart." - Rumi
- "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr.
- "Silence is golden unless you have kids. Then silence is suspicious." - Unknown
- "Words can be twisted into any shape. Promises can be made to lull the heart and seduce the soul. In the final analysis, words mean nothing. They are labels we give things in an effort to wrap our puny little brains around their underlying natures, when ninety-nine percent of the time the totality of the reality is an entirely different beast. The wisest man is the silent one. Examine his actions. Judge him by them." - Karen Marie Moning
- "The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil." - Thomas Edison
- "The greatest sound in the universe is the sound of one hand clapping." - Zen proverb
- "Do not be silent; there is no limit to the power that may be released through you." - Howard Thurman
- "The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause." - Mark Twain
- "Silence is sometimes the best answer." - Dalai Lama
- "The deepest rivers make the least noise." - Richard Hooker
- "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Leonardo da Vinci
- "The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails." - William Shakespeare
- "True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." - William Penn
- "Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn." - George Bernard Shaw
- "Silence is more musical than any song." - Christina Rossetti
- "The most profound statements are often said in silence." - Lynn Johnston
- "In silence there is eloquence." - Rumi
- "Silence is the only answer to a fool." - African Proverb
How Can We Use Silence Quotes in Our Daily Lives?
Noise and sound tend to distract us from the ever-present peace that is available within. This includes the sound of the world around us and the constant low hum of our inner critic, our smallest self. Our true self speaks only the language of love, but often in a voice that is easily overpowered by unnecessary chatter. In moments of quiet, we allow for this wise, loving voice to be heard.
Mindfulness meditation lets us intentionally practice being quiet. It gives us an opportunity to turn our attention inward, away from the distracting noises of the outside world. At first, our inner world may seem noisy too. But we soon notice that we need not pay attention to the negative voices in our heads. We can turn past that too, with a deeper, whole body listening. We see that there is a silence, spaciousness and peace that is always available.
The power of silence quotes lies in their ability to motivate our practice of quieting down. They inspire us to meditate and confirm what we find when we do. Use the above quotes about silence as affirmations, mantras, or to help set an intention for your daily meditation. To meditate with a quote on silence, simply hold the quote lightly in your mind and ask the open-ended question, is it true? Let the body and not the discursive, thinking mind show you the answer.
Summing up
We often default to chasing noise, either out of habit or intentionally. For example, some of us use sound to avoid truly listening to what is asking for attention. Silence quotes can inspire and motivate us to explore what happens when we purposefully turn down the volume. They give us the courage to rest, meditate, and get present with the softest inner calling. Reflect upon one or more of these silence quotes daily and observe what changes.
