--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is not much talking now. A silence…" description: "\"There is not much talking now. A silence falls upon them all. This is no time to talk of hedges and fields, or the beauties of any country. Sadness and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/alan-paton-6865_beloved_there-is-not-much-talking-now-a-silence_1387858.jpg" --- # There is not much talking now. A silence falls upon them… ![“There is not much talking now. A silence falls upon them all. This is no time to talk of hedges and fields, or the beauties of any country. Sadness and fear and hate, how they well up in the heart and mind, whenever one opens pages of these messengers of doom. Cry for the broken tribe, for the law…” quote by Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/alan-paton-6865_beloved_there-is-not-much-talking-now-a-silence_1387858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/alan-paton-6865_beloved_there-is-not-much-talking-now-a-silence_1387858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/alan-paton-6865_beloved_there-is-not-much-talking-now-a-silence_1387858.jpg) > “There is not much talking now. A silence falls upon them all. This is no time to talk of hedges and fields, or the beauties of any country. Sadness and fear and hate, how they well up in the heart and mind, whenever one opens pages of these messengers of doom. Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and the custom that is gone. Aye, and cry aloud for the man who is dead, for the woman and children bereaved. Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end. The sun pours down on the earth, on the lovely land that man cannot enjoy. He knows only the fear of his heart.” [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage portrays a nation in deep mourning, where silence, grief, and fear dominate as people confront loss, injustice, and the erosion of cultural values. **In simple terms:** A country mourns loss and fear as its people suffer. Key Takeaway Acknowledge collective grief and seek healing. Themes grief injustice loss national identity hope Mood somber reflective hopeful Type literary lament social commentary When to use this quote - public mourning - community rebuilding - cultural preservation - peacebuilding Key Concepts postcolonial trauma social decay collective mourning Questions to Reflect On - How can a society transform grief into constructive change? - What role does remembrance play in healing? A Different Perspective The focus on sorrow may overlook resilience and agency within the community. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) [Bereaved Beloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bereaved-beloved-4828125/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Country Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-sadness-4828124/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doom/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart and mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-and-mind/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Lovely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovely/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Messengers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messengers/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sadness Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness-fear-1295283/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tribes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribes/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [“So you just have get over your sadness and fear and do what’s necessary for your child’s needs. 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O how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nizar-qabbani/we-killed-you-and-it-was-not-new-for-us-we-killed-the-companions-of/) [Nizar Qabbani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nizar-qabbani/) > [History is the witness of the times, the light of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/history-is-the-witness-of-the-times-the-light-of-truth-the-life-of/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The message is important, but I think the messengers are just as important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-kim/the-message-is-important-but-i-think-the-messengers-are-just-as/) [Young Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-kim/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## More by Alan Paton > [“He is a missionary and believes in God, intensely I mean, but it takes all kinds to make a world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/he-is-a-missionary-and-believes-in-god-intensely-i-mean-but-it-takes/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [“All roads lead to Johannesburg. 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Although nothing has come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/indeed-there-is-something-in-this-valley-some-spirit-and-some-life/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [“In a land of fear... incorruptibility is like a lamp set upon a stand, giving light to all in the house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/in-a-land-of-fear-incorruptibility-is-like-a-lamp-set-upon-a-stand/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [“Something within me is waking from long sleep, and I want to live and move again. Some zest is returning to me, some immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/something-within-me-is-waking-from-long-sleep-and-i-want-to-live-and/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [And money is not something to go mad about ... 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When the storm threatens, a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/sorrow-is-better-than-fear-fear-is-a-journey-a-terrible-journey-but/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [Nosecond Johannesburg isneededuponthe earth.One is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/nosecond-johannesburg-isneededuponthe-earth-one-is-enough/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/when-a-deep-injury-is-done-us-we-never-recover-until-we-forgive/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [“I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/i-see-only-one-hope-for-our-country-and-that-is-when-white-men-and/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) [Explore all 97 Alan Paton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) ## More Beloved quotes > [My Chosen Daughter, No one can define you without your permission. 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So, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/wicked-sons-do-not-have-the-holy-ghost-in-the-same-way-as-do-beloved/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) [Browse all 1,440 Beloved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is not much talking now. A silence falls upon them all. This is no time to talk of hedges and fields, or the beauties of any country. Sadness and fear and hate, how they well up in the heart and mind, whenever one opens pages of these messengers of doom. Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and the custom that is gone. Aye, and cry aloud for the man who is dead, for the woman and children bereaved. Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end. The sun pours down on the earth, on the lovely land that man cannot enjoy. 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