--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A civil guest Will no more talk all, than…" description: "\"A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast.\" — George Herbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44f/george-herbert-107_conversation_a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than_445497.jpg" --- # A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast. ![“A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast.” quote by George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44f/george-herbert-107_conversation_a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than_445497.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44f/george-herbert-107_conversation_a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than_445497.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44f/george-herbert-107_conversation_a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than_445497.jpg) > “A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast.” [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A guest at a feast will not speak much, implying restraint and humility in social settings. **In simple terms:** Silence shows humility at gatherings. Key Takeaway Embrace modest speech. Themes humility social etiquette self‑control Mood contemplative didactic Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - Dinner parties - formal events - public speaking Key Concepts Poetic metaphor moral lesson Questions to Reflect On - When is speaking essential? - How does restraint affect relationships? A Different Perspective Silence can hinder necessary communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [I talk too much. I eat too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/i-talk-too-much-i-eat-too-much/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [The question is always the same with a dragon: will he talk with you or will he eat you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-question-is-always-the-same-with-a-dragon-will-he-talk-with-you/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“When he moved to take another sandwich, she pushed the plate just out of his reach. "Talk first. Eat later, Jack." His gaze narrowed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kady-cross/when-he-moved-to-take-another-sandwich-she-pushed-the-plate-just-out/) [Kady Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kady-cross/) > [“Now, do you want to talk first or eat first?” My questions were burning a hole in my tongue, but I’d been a merc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-bach/now-do-you-want-to-talk-first-or-eat-first-my-questions-were-burning/) [Rachel Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-bach/) > [For me the ideal date would be to drink wine in the backyard under the stars, listen to music and just talk. Then we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-mcdougal/for-me-the-ideal-date-would-be-to-drink-wine-in-the-backyard-under/) [Karen McDougal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-mcdougal/) > [War is death's feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/war-is-death-s-feast/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Warre is deaths feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/warre-is-deaths-feast/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [A cherefull looke makes a dish a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-cherefull-looke-makes-a-dish-a-feast/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [He that is angry at a feast is rude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-that-is-angry-at-a-feast-is-rude/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/bear-in-mind-that-you-should-conduct-yourself-in-life-as-at-a-feast/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [An intelligently planned feast is like a summing up of the whole world, where each part is represented by its envoys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/an-intelligently-planned-feast-is-like-a-summing-up-of-the-whole/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [“We don't see the New Testament church hoarding the feast for themselves, gorging, getting fatter and fatter and asking for more; more bible studies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hatmaker/we-don-t-see-the-new-testament-church-hoarding-the-feast-for/) [Jen Hatmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hatmaker/) > [“One man's famine makes another man's feast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kroc/one-man-s-famine-makes-another-man-s-feast/) [Ray Kroc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kroc/) > [Tears on the mauseoleum floor. Blood stains the coliseum doors. Lies on the lips of a priest. Thanksgiving disguised as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/tears-on-the-mauseoleum-floor-blood-stains-the-coliseum-doors-lies-on/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by George Herbert > [Sum up at night what thou hast done by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/sum-up-at-night-what-thou-hast-done-by-day/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Beare with evill, and expect good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/beare-with-evill-and-expect-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [ In the house of a Fidler, all fiddle. \[In the house of the fiddler all fiddle.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-the-house-of-a-fidler-all-fiddle-in-the-house-of-the-fiddler-all/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [By all means use some time to be alone, salute thyself, see what thy soul doth wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/by-all-means-use-some-time-to-be-alone-salute-thyself-see-what-thy/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Every one is weary, the poore in seeking, the rich in keeping, the good in learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/every-one-is-weary-the-poore-in-seeking-the-rich-in-keeping-the-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [He is a great Necromancer, for he asks counsel counsell of the Dead (i.e. books).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-is-a-great-necromancer-for-he-asks-counsel-counsell-of-the-dead-i/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [If all fooles had babies, wee should want fuell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/if-all-fooles-had-babies-wee-should-want-fuell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Weight justly and sell dearely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/weight-justly-and-sell-dearely/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Could have recovered greenness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/could-have-recovered-greenness/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [In every country dogges bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-every-country-dogges-bite/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The back-doore robs the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-back-doore-robs-the-house/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Foolish tongues talke by the dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/foolish-tongues-talke-by-the-dozen/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [ Spectacles are deaths Harquebuze. \[Spectacles are death's arquebuse.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/spectacles-are-deaths-harquebuze-spectacles-are-death-s-arquebuse/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [None saies his Garner is full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/none-saies-his-garner-is-full/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) [Explore all 1,285 George Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## More Conversation quotes > [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/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [“Having to talk to people was the one thing, but soliciting conversation was something else. If I acted squirmy or didn't make eye contact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/having-to-talk-to-people-was-the-one-thing-but-soliciting/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [The best shows succeed because they tap into a national conversation,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/the-best-shows-succeed-because-they-tap-into-a-national-conversation/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [“And better still to be alone with one’s books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-better-still-to-be-alone-with-one-s-books-they-tell-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) > [Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new-to-try-something-to-change/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) [Browse all 5,224 Conversation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Herbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than-eat-all-the-feast/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conversation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than-eat-all-the-feast/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44f/george-herbert-107_conversation_a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than_445497.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44f/george-herbert-107_conversation_a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than_445497.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44f/george-herbert-107_conversation_a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than_445497.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all the feast.” — George Herbert", "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": "George Herbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A civil guest Will no more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than-eat-all-the-feast/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-civil-guest-will-no-more-talk-all-than-eat-all-the-feast/#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 } } ] } ```