---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Right speech comes out of silence and…"
description: "\"Right speech comes out of silence and right silence comes out of speech.\" — Dietrich Bonhoeffer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_communication_right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-ri_65375.jpg"
---

#  Right speech comes out of silence and right silence comes…

![“Right speech comes out of silence and right silence comes out of speech.” quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_communication_right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-ri_65375.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_communication_right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-ri_65375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_communication_right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-ri_65375.jpg)

> “Right speech comes out of silence and right silence comes out of speech.”

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True communication requires balancing speaking and listening; authentic expression emerges when words are measured and silence is purposeful.

**In simple terms:** Balance speech and silence.

Key Takeaway

Speak wisely, listen deeply.

Themes

communication mindfulness authenticity balance wisdom

Mood

contemplative thoughtful

Type

aphor philosophical

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- leadership meetings
- personal reflection
- teaching
- meditation

Key Concepts

effective dialogue self-awareness intentionality

Practical Applications

- coaching
- facilitation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does silence shape your message?
- When might speaking be more harmful than helpful?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comes Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-silence-593369/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Right Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-silence-872958/) [Right Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-speech-872959/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-right-872960/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Speech Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-comes-640302/)

## Related quotes

> [“It's quiet in the car, in a good way for once. No words, no music. Silence seems right. I roll down the windows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-salvato-doktorski/it-s-quiet-in-the-car-in-a-good-way-for-once-no-words-no-music/)

[Jennifer Salvato Doktorski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-salvato-doktorski/)

> [You have no right to go before a public without an adequate technique, just because you feel. Anything feels - a leaf feels, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-have-no-right-to-go-before-a-public-without-an-adequate-technique/)

[Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/)

> [I have the right to speech and expression and I won't leave that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/payal-rohatgi/i-have-the-right-to-speech-and-expression-and-i-won-t-leave-that/)

[Payal Rohatgi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/payal-rohatgi/)

> [The critical point is that the Constitution places the right of silence beyond the reach of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-critical-point-is-that-the-constitution-places-the-right-of/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [“Once you have realized that law enforcement are not going to uphold your legal rights, you should always exercise your legal right to silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/once-you-have-realized-that-law-enforcement-are-not-going-to-uphold/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“You may not have said anything, but you’re right—silence is the best response.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/you-may-not-have-said-anything-but-you-re-right-silence-is-the-best/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [When speech comes from a quiet heart, it has the strength of the orchid, and the fragrance of rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/when-speech-comes-from-a-quiet-heart-it-has-the-strength-of-the/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [Political speech is indispensable to decision-making in a democracy, and this is no less true because the speech comes from a corporation rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kennedy/political-speech-is-indispensable-to-decision-making-in-a-democracy/)

[Anthony Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kennedy/)

> [Remember in the forms of speech comes change Within a thousand years, and words that then Were well esteemed, seem foolish now and strange;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/remember-in-the-forms-of-speech-comes-change-within-a-thousand-years/)

[Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/)

> [No human speech comes without error, if it does come without error, then it is God speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/no-human-speech-comes-without-error-if-it-does-come-without-error/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [“Giving up wrong deeds, exercise right action. Giving up wrong speech, exercise right speech. Giving up wrong thoughts, think good thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/giving-up-wrong-deeds-exercise-right-action-giving-up-wrong-speech/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [The prohibition of L'shon Hara is the Jewish equivalent of the Buddhist practice of Right Speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/the-prohibition-of-l-shon-hara-is-the-jewish-equivalent-of-the/)

[Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/)

> [“Three parts of the Noble Eightfold Path fall within the training of sīla: right speech, right action, and right livelihood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hart/three-parts-of-the-noble-eightfold-path-fall-within-the-training-of-s/)

[William Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hart/)

> [“It was right for his speech to be a failure, since what he had been defending was a lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hegland/it-was-right-for-his-speech-to-be-a-failure-since-what-he-had-been/)

[Jean Hegland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hegland/)

> [ “\[T\]he deepest form of pain comes out as silence.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-goldberg-sloan/t-he-deepest-form-of-pain-comes-out-as-silence/)

[Holly Goldberg Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-goldberg-sloan/)

## More by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/only-he-who-believes-is-obedient-and-only-he-who-is-obedient-believes/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-can-really-be-faithful-in-great-things-if-he-has-not-learned-to/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“The church can only defend its own space by fighting, not for space, but for the salvation of the world. Otherwise the church becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-church-can-only-defend-its-own-space-by-fighting-not-for-space/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [There remains an experience of incomparable value . . . to see the great events of world history from below; from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-remains-an-experience-of-incomparable-value-to-see-the-great/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/to-endure-the-cross-is-not-a-tragedy-it-is-the-suffering-which-is-the/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“There is only one church, the church of faith ruled by the word of Jesus Christ alone. This is the true catholic church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-only-one-church-the-church-of-faith-ruled-by-the-word-of/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“As Christians, we needn’t be at all ashamed of some impatience, longing, opposition to what is unnatural, and our full share of desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/as-christians-we-needn-t-be-at-all-ashamed-of-some-impatience-longing/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/those-who-love-their-dream-of-a-christian-community-more-than-the/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“From now on there can be no more wars of faith. The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/from-now-on-there-can-be-no-more-wars-of-faith-the-only-way-to/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“The scriptures do not present us with a series of Christian types to be imitated according to choice; they preach to us in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-scriptures-do-not-present-us-with-a-series-of-christian-types-to/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-are-not-to-simply-bandage-the-wounds-of-victims-beneath-the-wheels/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

[Explore all 711 Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

[Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Right speech comes out of silence and right silence comes out of speech.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-right-silence-comes-out-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-right-silence-comes-out-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_communication_right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-ri_65375.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_communication_right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-ri_65375.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_communication_right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-ri_65375.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Right speech comes out of silence and right silence comes out of speech.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Right speech comes out of silence...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-right-silence-comes-out-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/right-speech-comes-out-of-silence-and-right-silence-comes-out-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
