--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Silence is the worst. Whenever a thick…" description: "\"“Silence is the worst. Whenever a thick cloud of silence descends, the yapping voices inside me become all the more audible, rising to the surface one ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/elif-shafak-1594_silence_silence-is-the-worst-whenever-a-thick-cl_2135295.jpg" --- # Silence is the worst. Whenever a thick cloud of silence… ![“Silence is the worst. Whenever a thick cloud of silence descends, the yapping voices inside me become all the more audible, rising to the surface one by one. I like to believe I know all the women in this inner harm of mine but perhaps there are those I have never met. Together they make a choir…” quote by Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/elif-shafak-1594_silence_silence-is-the-worst-whenever-a-thick-cl_2135295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/elif-shafak-1594_silence_silence-is-the-worst-whenever-a-thick-cl_2135295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/elif-shafak-1594_silence_silence-is-the-worst-whenever-a-thick-cl_2135295.jpg) > ““Silence is the worst. Whenever a thick cloud of silence descends, the yapping voices inside me become all the more audible, rising to the surface one by one. I like to believe I know all the women in this inner harm of mine but perhaps there are those I have never met. Together they make a choir that does not know how to tone down. I call them the Choir of Discordant Voices. It is a bizarre choir, now that I think about it. Not only are they all off-key, none of them can read notes. In fact, there is no music at all in what they do. They all talk at the same time, each in a voice louder than the other, never listening to what is being said. They make me afraid of my own diversity, the fragmentation inside of me. That is why I do not like the quiet. I even find it unpleasant, unsettling.”” [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Inner voices clash when silence is avoided, creating mental chaos and fear of one's own complexity. **In simple terms:** Quiet reveals inner turmoil; silence can be unsettling. Key Takeaway Embrace silence to hear your true self. Themes inner conflict silence self‑awareness Mood introspective anxious Type literary reflection psychological insight When to use this quote - meditation - therapy - creative writing - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology mental noise fragmentation Questions to Reflect On - How does silence affect your thoughts? - What strategies help you quiet the inner choir? A Different Perspective Silence can also be healing, not just frightening. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choir Discordant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choir-discordant-4421056/) [Choir Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choir-think-4421055/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-worst-2788829/) [Voices Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voices-inside-885711/) ## Related quotes > [“On the Sufi path, first you discover the art of being alone amid the crowd. Next you discover the crowd within your solitude -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/on-the-sufi-path-first-you-discover-the-art-of-being-alone-amid-the/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [Silence is my worst enemy, being silence breaks my heart into million pieces, not knowing what to say to prevent arguments. When I talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-ayala/silence-is-my-worst-enemy-being-silence-breaks-my-heart-into-million/) [Alexandra Ayala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-ayala/) > [The silence is the worst part of any fight, because it's made up of all the things we wish we could say, if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/the-silence-is-the-worst-part-of-any-fight-because-it-s-made-up-of/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) > [“Silence is the worst thing someone can give you. Your mind fills it with every possible bad thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-tims/silence-is-the-worst-thing-someone-can-give-you-your-mind-fills-it/) [Laura Tims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-tims/) > [Silence can be the worst ridicule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nielsen/silence-can-be-the-worst-ridicule/) [Helen Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nielsen/) > [The voices inside my head are taking over, They're telling me that my life is in danger. 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Get along with the voices inside of my hide~~~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-friends-with-the-monster-the-son-of-my-bed-get-along-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-are-not-afraid-of-the-voices-inside-you-you-will-not-fear-the-2/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [There are a lot of voices inside of us. We have the voices of our parents, our grandparents, our society, our bosses, our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/echo-bodine/there-are-a-lot-of-voices-inside-of-us-we-have-the-voices-of-our/) [Echo Bodine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/echo-bodine/) > [If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you. Besides, those voices are merely guardians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/if-you-are-not-afraid-of-the-voices-inside-you-you-will-not-fear-the/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“She had been amazed-and a little relieved-to discover that she was not concealing some private neurosis; almost all imaginative people heard voices. Not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/she-had-been-amazed-and-a-little-relieved-to-discover-that-she-was/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The voices inside her head had awakened from their peace as they hissed in whisper through her ears. They slithered inside Sophia's mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arti-manani/the-voices-inside-her-head-had-awakened-from-their-peace-as-they/) [Arti Manani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arti-manani/) > [I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed; get along with the voices inside of my head. You're trying to save me, stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/i-m-friends-with-the-monster-that-s-under-my-bed-get-along-with-the/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [There are many, that reside within, some masters of love, others, of sin. A symphony of voices, inside my mind, Yet a collection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/there-are-many-that-reside-within-some-masters-of-love-others-of-sin/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) ## More by Elif Shafak > [“Od nje je naučio dvije osnovne stvari o ljubavi: prvo, da je, za razliku od onoga što romantici tako naduto tvrde, ljubav više postupan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/od-nje-je-nau-io-dvije-osnovne-stvari-o-ljubavi-prvo-da-je-za-razliku/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Why roots were rated so highly compared with branches or leaves, Peri had never understood. Trees had multiple shoots and filaments extending in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/why-roots-were-rated-so-highly-compared-with-branches-or-leaves-peri/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“How could they be so certain of the superiority of their truths when they knew so little, if anything at all, about other cultures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/how-could-they-be-so-certain-of-the-superiority-of-their-truths-when/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“When you master a language, you are given the key to a castle. What you’ll find inside depends on you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/when-you-master-a-language-you-are-given-the-key-to-a-castle-what-you/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Her insanın erafında bir renk halesi vardır. Seninkini biliyor musun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/her-insan-n-eraf-nda-bir-renk-halesi-vard-r-seninkini-biliyor-musun/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“I'm not one of those pious types who spend their whole lives hunched on prayer rugs while their eyes and hearts remain closed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/i-m-not-one-of-those-pious-types-who-spend-their-whole-lives-hunched/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“England has a peculiar way of making foreigners feel exhilaratingly free and depressingly alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/england-has-a-peculiar-way-of-making-foreigners-feel-exhilaratingly/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“There are things so awful in this world that the good-hearted people, may Allah bless them all, have absolutely no idea of. And that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/there-are-things-so-awful-in-this-world-that-the-good-hearted-people/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Irrationality is part of everyday rationale”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/irrationality-is-part-of-everyday-rationale/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“In love, boundaries are blurred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/in-love-boundaries-are-blurred/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“It had just hit her why and how people could fall in love with Istanbul, in spite of all the sorrow it might cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/it-had-just-hit-her-why-and-how-people-could-fall-in-love-with/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Inside, I found three things: a silver mirror, a silk handkerchief, and a glass flask of ointment. These items will help you on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/inside-i-found-three-things-a-silver-mirror-a-silk-handkerchief-and-a/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Talent is a favor of the divine. To perfect it one must work hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/talent-is-a-favor-of-the-divine-to-perfect-it-one-must-work-hard/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“level, they use this as a poor excuse to disregard the rules of the sharia. Drinking, dancing, music, poetry, and painting”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/level-they-use-this-as-a-poor-excuse-to-disregard-the-rules-of-the/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“In many parts of the world you were what you said and what you did and, also, what you read; in Turkey, as in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/in-many-parts-of-the-world-you-were-what-you-said-and-what-you-did/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) [Explore all 180 Elif Shafak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) ## More Silence quotes > [Let us have the luxury of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/let-us-have-the-luxury-of-silence/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [I just can’t, Nick, okay? Now, please give me a second to lie here in silence and bleed.” – Caleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-just-can-t-nick-okay-now-please-give-me-a-second-to-lie-here-in/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“SILENT LIKE SLEEP You appear by my side, silent like sleep. Soft hair, a little wild. No fear, gentle like a calm river. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/silent-like-sleep-you-appear-by-my-side-silent-like-sleep-soft-hair-a/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [“A word is not filling in the gaps, but the fertilization of silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/a-word-is-not-filling-in-the-gaps-but-the-fertilization-of-silence/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“I’m not like her. I don’t steal people.” Mr. Tibbalt watched her, saying nothing. The silence made Victoria bristle. “Well, I don’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-legrand/i-m-not-like-her-i-don-t-steal-people-mr-tibbalt-watched-her-saying/) [Claire Legrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-legrand/) > [Silence can be the world's strongest weapon in torturing people's emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/silence-can-be-the-world-s-strongest-weapon-in-torturing-people-s/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“When all are one sentience, Language withers and fades away. Let's sit together and speak in silence, Let's be light to each other's way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/when-all-are-one-sentience-language-withers-and-fades-away-let-s-sit/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [True friendship is sitting together in silence and feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-friendship-is-sitting-together-in-silence-and-feeling-like-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So what did God say to me in the silence that morning? I’m not sure, but I think God said something like, Don’t try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/so-what-did-god-say-to-me-in-the-silence-that-morning-i-m-not-sure/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I suppose he'll just have to do," she amended. "You'll have to suffer in silence with your male model...I feel for you." "Oh, stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/i-suppose-he-ll-just-have-to-do-she-amended-you-ll-have-to-suffer-in/) [Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/) > [The silent majority is silent, and that is best for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-kocher/the-silent-majority-is-silent-and-that-is-best-for-everybody/) [Gerhard Kocher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-kocher/) > [“I once asked you what anxiety felt like, and you told me that most days left you riddled with bullet holes. Every morning came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-s/i-once-asked-you-what-anxiety-felt-like-and-you-told-me-that-most/) [d.a.s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-s/) [Browse all 8,731 Silence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Silence is the worst. Whenever a thick cloud of silence descends, the yapping voices inside me become all the more audible, rising to the surface one by one. I like to believe I know all the women in this inner harm of mine but perhaps there are those I have never met. Together they make a choir that does not know how to tone down. I call them the Choir of Discordant Voices. It is a bizarre choir, now that I think about it. Not only are they all off-key, none of them can read notes. In fact, there is no music at all in what they do. They all talk at the same time, each in a voice louder than the other, never listening to what is being said. They make me afraid of my own diversity, the fragmentation inside of me. That is why I do not like the quiet. 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