Language Quote by Christina Baker Kline

““We sit in silence, the air between bristling with words unsaid.””

Christina Baker Kline

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Language of Silence, 2015

Unspoken words fill the space between people, creating tension.

In simple terms: Silence can be heavy with unexpressed thoughts.

Key Takeaway

Address the unsaid to ease tension.

Themes

communication relationships silence

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

family gatherings
work meetings
conflict resolution
creative writing

Key Concepts

psychology interpersonal dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

What are you not saying?
How can you express it safely?

A Different Perspective

Some words are better left unsaid.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.4 out of 5 (4 ratings)

Bristling Words Language Silence Silence Air Sit In Silence Sit Silence Unsaid Words Unsaid

More by Christina Baker Kline

“Mr. Grote shows me how he grows wild rice in the stream and collects the seeds. The rice is nutty and brown. He plants…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“I try to forget the horror of what happened. Or—perhaps forget is the wrong word. How can I forget? And yet how can I…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“don’t know how much of my memory of this time is affected by my age now and how much is a result of the…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“The stark gray sky and bare tree limbs feel more suited to her than the uncomplicated promise of sunny spring days.”

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“Sometimes these spirits have been more real to me than people, more real than God. They fill silence with their weight, dense and warm,…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“Every Easter she and her mother planted those crocuses near the fence beside the driveway, and soon enough a whole cluster of them, white…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“Babies pay no attention to the clock.”

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“Mr. Kaminski pulled a chain hanging from the pressed-metal kitchen ceiling, and light seeped from a bulb, casting a wan glow over a scarred…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“Before we leave the gravesite, Mary sings Mother's favorite gospel hymn ... Mary's lovely voice rises and lingers in the air, and by the…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“for the first time since the fire, my worries are gone. I feel a joy so strong it’s almost painful—a knife’s edge of joy.”

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“What was it the teacher in her Legal Issues class said the other day? Never bring up a point you don’t have an answer…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

“Mrs. Scatcherd raps Dutchy's knuckles several times with a long wooden ruler, though it seems to me a halfhearted penalty. He barely winces, then…

Christina Baker Kline

Image

Explore all 281 Christina Baker Kline quotes

More Language quotes

I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…

Ted Martinez

Image

Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…

Divya Khosla Kumar

Image

The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…

John Searle

Image

A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…

Paul Simon

Image

“I only have two words to say More or Less”

TimBur

Image

It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.

Samuel Barnett

Image

I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…

Rae Armantrout