--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you are in it up to your ears, keep…" description: "\"When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.\" — Georges Duhamel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/georges-duhamel-25871_ears_when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep_553033.png" --- # When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut. ![“When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.” quote by Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/georges-duhamel-25871_ears_when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep_553033.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/georges-duhamel-25871_ears_when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep_553033.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/georges-duhamel-25871_ears_when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep_553033.png) > “When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.” [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When deeply involved, silence prevents worsening the situation or revealing weakness. **In simple terms:** Stay quiet when overwhelmed. Key Takeaway Speak less, listen more. Themes caution communication selfcontrol Mood thoughtful reserved Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - stressful meetings - personal crises - legal disputes - emotional overload Key Concepts psychology conflict avoidance Questions to Reflect On - When have you spoken too soon? - How can silence protect you? A Different Perspective Silence can be misinterpreted as indifference or lack of engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [If you rest your chin on your hand when you think, it will help you keep your mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-rest-your-chin-on-your-hand-when-you-think-it-will-help-you/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I won this award for keeping my mouth shut, so I think I'll do it again now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wyman/i-won-this-award-for-keeping-my-mouth-shut-so-i-think-i-ll-do-it/) [Jane Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wyman/) > [Never miss a chance to keep your mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-newton-peck/never-miss-a-chance-to-keep-your-mouth-shut/) [Robert Newton Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-newton-peck/) > [Sometimes you've got to keep your mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-harvick/sometimes-you-ve-got-to-keep-your-mouth-shut/) [Kevin Harvick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-harvick/) > [I've never been mugged, never really experienced street fear. In fact, I'm the one who gets into arguments because I don't keep my mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-whittaker/i-ve-never-been-mugged-never-really-experienced-street-fear-in-fact-i/) [Jodie Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-whittaker/) > [I'm not going to keep my mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-trucks/i-m-not-going-to-keep-my-mouth-shut/) [Butch Trucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-trucks/) > [X + Y + Z X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/x-y-z-x-is-work-y-is-play-z-is-keep-your-mouth-shut/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You're almost always better off keeping your mouth shut, but don't let that stop you from popping off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-re-almost-always-better-off-keeping-your-mouth-shut-but-don-t-let/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I'd say the best way to train someone is to remember that you have two ears and one mouth, and use them in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-d-smith/i-d-say-the-best-way-to-train-someone-is-to-remember-that-you-have/) [Brad D. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-d-smith/) > [“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/as-quoted-by-diogenes-la-rtius-zeno-of-citium/we-have-two-ears-and-one-mouth-so-we-should-listen-more-than-we-say/) as quoted by Diogenes Laërtius Zeno of Citium > [We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-have-two-ears-and-one-mouth-so-that-we-can-listen-twice-as-much-as/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [In discussions like this I'd rather keep my mouth shut. I'll get thrown out of this school...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-discussions-like-this-i-d-rather-keep-my-mouth-shut-i-ll-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I had kept my damn mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-wish-i-had-kept-my-damn-mouth-shut/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Knowing when to keep your mouth shut is invariably more important than opening it at the right time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/knowing-when-to-keep-your-mouth-shut-is-invariably-more-important/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [One of the hardest things in the world is keeping your mouth shut when you know something needs to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-is-keeping-your-mouth-shut/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) ## More by Georges Duhamel > [The swimmer adrift on the open seas measures his strength, and strives with all his muscles to keep himself afloat. But what is he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/the-swimmer-adrift-on-the-open-seas-measures-his-strength-and-strives/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [We do not know the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test of memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/we-do-not-know-the-true-value-of-our-moments-until-they-have/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [You conquered the landscape with the soles of shoes, not the tires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/you-conquered-the-landscape-with-the-soles-of-shoes-not-the-tires/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [A library is that venerable place where men preserve the history of their experience, their tentative experiments, their discoveries, and their plans... in books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/a-library-is-that-venerable-place-where-men-preserve-the-history-of/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [We do not know the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test of memory. Like the images the photographer plunges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/we-do-not-know-the-true-value-of-our-moments-until-they-have-2/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [No doubt about it: error is the rule, truth is the accident of error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/no-doubt-about-it-error-is-the-rule-truth-is-the-accident-of-error/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [I have too much respect for the idea of God to make it responsible for such an absurd world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/i-have-too-much-respect-for-the-idea-of-god-to-make-it-responsible/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [“What distinguishes man from his innocent brothers, the animals,...is not language, nor reason, nor even civilization...it is man's enormous appetite for suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/what-distinguishes-man-from-his-innocent-brothers-the-animals-is-not/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [Courtesy is not dead - it has merely taken refuge in Great Britain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/courtesy-is-not-dead-it-has-merely-taken-refuge-in-great-britain/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [It is strange what a contempt men have for the joys that are offered them freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/it-is-strange-what-a-contempt-men-have-for-the-joys-that-are-offered/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [To drink is a small matter. To be thirsty is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/to-drink-is-a-small-matter-to-be-thirsty-is-everything/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [The man who has entered into a beautiful union is sure of at least one person to whom he can give the best that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/the-man-who-has-entered-into-a-beautiful-union-is-sure-of-at-least/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [Do not trust your memory; it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/do-not-trust-your-memory-it-is-a-net-full-of-holes-the-most-beautiful/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [I can no longer think what I want to think. My thoughts have been replaced by moving images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/i-can-no-longer-think-what-i-want-to-think-my-thoughts-have-been/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [In the beds which the piety of the public has prepared on every side, stricken men await the verdict of fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/in-the-beds-which-the-piety-of-the-public-has-prepared-on-every-side/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) [Explore all 21 Georges Duhamel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) ## More Ears quotes > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [Somehow the river is louder when you cover your ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-williams/somehow-the-river-is-louder-when-you-cover-your-ears/) [Niall Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-williams/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-was-like-how-she-is-now-when/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [Men trust rather to their eyes than to their ears; the effect of precepts is therefore slow and tedious, whilst that of examples is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-trust-rather-to-their-eyes-than-to-their-ears-the-effect-of/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [The more that you act on your intuition fearlessly, the more your intuition will serve you. Intuition is the ear of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/the-more-that-you-act-on-your-intuition-fearlessly-the-more-your/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [it'll be this kind of deep blue”she said. “The kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/it-ll-be-this-kind-of-deep-blue-she-said-the-kind-of-color-that/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) Browse all 2,987 Ears quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Georges Duhamel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep-your-mouth-shut/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ears" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep-your-mouth-shut/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/georges-duhamel-25871_ears_when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep_553033.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/georges-duhamel-25871_ears_when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep_553033.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/georges-duhamel-25871_ears_when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep_553033.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.” — Georges Duhamel", "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": "Georges Duhamel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you are in it up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep-your-mouth-shut/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep-your-mouth-shut/#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 } } ] } ```