--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes it's the words we choose not to…" description: "\"Sometimes it's the words we choose not to say that speak most loudly about our character.\" — Lysa TerKeurst" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/lysa-terkeurst-1076_character_sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-t_1037123.jpg" --- # Sometimes it's the words we choose not to say that speak… ![“Sometimes it's the words we choose not to say that speak most loudly about our character.” quote by Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/lysa-terkeurst-1076_character_sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-t_1037123.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/lysa-terkeurst-1076_character_sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-t_1037123.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/lysa-terkeurst-1076_character_sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-t_1037123.jpg) > “Sometimes it's the words we choose not to say that speak most loudly about our character.” [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Points out that unspoken words reveal character more than spoken ones. **In simple terms:** Silence can reveal true character. Key Takeaway Mindful communication. Themes communication character silence Mood thoughtful serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - leadership - conflict management Key Concepts interpersonal honesty self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What does your silence say about you? - When is silence more powerful than speech? A Different Perspective May lead to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choose wisely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-wisely/) [Deep thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thought/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Power of choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-choice/) [Power of words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-words/) ## Related quotes > [Big things are built one brick at a time. Victories are achieved one choice at a time. A life well lived is chosen one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/big-things-are-built-one-brick-at-a-time-victories-are-achieved-one/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Satan has no power over us except what we allow. Moment by moment, decision by decision, step by step - will we operate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/satan-has-no-power-over-us-except-what-we-allow-moment-by-moment/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [When you mess up, what are you going to do? Just keep going. And speak loudly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-victor-dixon/when-you-mess-up-what-are-you-going-to-do-just-keep-going-and-speak/) [Brandon Victor Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-victor-dixon/) > [Just speak very loudly and quickly, and state your position with utter conviction, as the French do, and you'll have a marvelous time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/just-speak-very-loudly-and-quickly-and-state-your-position-with-utter/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [What you do should speak so loudly that no one will hear what you say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marv-levy/what-you-do-should-speak-so-loudly-that-no-one-will-hear-what-you-say/) [Marv Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marv-levy/) > [Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/your-actions-speak-so-loudly-that-i-cannot-hear-what-you-say/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Argument weak; speak loudly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/argument-weak-speak-loudly/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“Our actions speak for us & they speak loudly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-lokos/our-actions-speak-for-us-they-speak-loudly/) [Allan Lokos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-lokos/) > [You have to be you. You can't be anybody else. If you speak loudly, and people tell you to speak quietly, you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/you-have-to-be-you-you-can-t-be-anybody-else-if-you-speak-loudly-and/) [Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/) > [“Your actions speak so loudly, I can not hear what you are saying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/your-actions-speak-so-loudly-i-can-not-hear-what-you-are-saying/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Always choose attitude over experience. Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/always-choose-attitude-over-experience-always/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [Each day you're presented with a choice. You can either keep your greatness hidden under a pile of fears, regrets, and excuses, or you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-howes/each-day-you-re-presented-with-a-choice-you-can-either-keep-your/) [Lewis Howes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-howes/) > [The choice to be used as an instrument of love, right here, right now, is a choice for personal empowerment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-choice-to-be-used-as-an-instrument-of-love-right-here-right-now/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Your success and failure , happiness and sorrow, love and hate, peace and stress lies in response to situations And this response depends on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/your-success-and-failure-happiness-and-sorrow-love-and-hate-peace-and/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [We all come into this world the same: naked, scared, and ignorant. After that grand entrance, the life we end up with is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/we-all-come-into-this-world-the-same-naked-scared-and-ignorant-after/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) ## More by Lysa TerKeurst > [A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-is-careful-with-her-words-is-a-gift-to-all-who-know-her/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what's called a memory trace. With each repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-we-have-the-same-thought-again-the-line-of-the-original-thought/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-must-not-confuse-the-command-to-love-with-the-disease-to-please/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-decisions-we-make-dictate-the-schedules-we-keep-the-schedules-we/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“It is good to be honest with God, but we must be careful that we don’t become whiners. There is nothing that aggravates my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/it-is-good-to-be-honest-with-god-but-we-must-be-careful-that-we-don-t/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Jesus, I don't want to be a secret keeper with my faith. I want to be a bold and gracious truth proclaimer. For You.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/jesus-i-don-t-want-to-be-a-secret-keeper-with-my-faith-i-want-to-be-a/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to your goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/make-every-effort-to-add-to-your-faith-goodness-and-to-your-goodness/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [You've never gone too far that God can't redeem you, restore you, forgive you, and give you a second chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/you-ve-never-gone-too-far-that-god-can-t-redeem-you-restore-you/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happened yesterday can’t be changed, but it can be forgiven. That’s your miracle in the mess. The voices of condemnation, shame, and rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happened-yesterday-can-t-be-changed-but-it-can-be-forgiven-that/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I have discovered that if I can change the way I think about something, I can change the way I react to it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-have-discovered-that-if-i-can-change-the-way-i-think-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Whenever an opportunity comes your way, challenge yourself to first thank God and then quickly follow up with the question, “God, who else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/whenever-an-opportunity-comes-your-way-challenge-yourself-to-first/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happens when you delete “com” from the word compromise? You’re left with a “promise.” We were made for more than compromise. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happens-when-you-delete-com-from-the-word-compromise-you-re-left/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I had allowed to settle into the core of who I am. I talked about myself in ways I would never let another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-had-allowed-to-settle-into-the-core-of-who-i-am-i-talked-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“When I don’t have peace physically, I don’t have peace spiritually. I can’t separate the two. Nor should I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-i-don-t-have-peace-physically-i-don-t-have-peace-spiritually-i/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) [Explore all 293 Lysa TerKeurst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes it's the words we choose not to say that speak most loudly about our character.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lysa TerKeurst" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-to-say-that-speak-most-loudly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-to-say-that-speak-most-loudly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/lysa-terkeurst-1076_character_sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-t_1037123.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/lysa-terkeurst-1076_character_sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-t_1037123.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/lysa-terkeurst-1076_character_sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-t_1037123.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes it's the words we choose not to say that speak most loudly about our character.” — Lysa TerKeurst", "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": "Lysa TerKeurst", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes it's the words we choose...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-to-say-that-speak-most-loudly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/sometimes-it-s-the-words-we-choose-not-to-say-that-speak-most-loudly/#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 } } ] } ```