--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Silence is dangerous We never permit it…" description: "\"“Silence is dangerous We never permit it. Our vocabulary may not be large But there is no question that we put it to constant use. That’s what things a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/madeleine-l-engle-345_chatter_silence-is-dangerous-we-never-permit-it_2149420.jpg" --- # Silence is dangerous We never permit it. Our vocabulary… ![“Silence is dangerous We never permit it. Our vocabulary may not be large But there is no question that we put it to constant use. That’s what things are for: to be used. And used. And used. Who knows? If we didn’t talk and chatter from morning till night (it doesn’t matter whether or not anybody…” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/madeleine-l-engle-345_chatter_silence-is-dangerous-we-never-permit-it_2149420.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/madeleine-l-engle-345_chatter_silence-is-dangerous-we-never-permit-it_2149420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/madeleine-l-engle-345_chatter_silence-is-dangerous-we-never-permit-it_2149420.jpg) > ““Silence is dangerous We never permit it. Our vocabulary may not be large But there is no question that we put it to constant use. That’s what things are for: to be used. And used. And used. Who knows? If we didn’t talk and chatter from morning till night (it doesn’t matter whether or not anybody listens; that’s not the point), Words might start using us. We never allow silence. If sometimes it catches us unaware, I am the first to screech across it And shatter it to echoing fragments. You never can tell: if I listened to the silence I might discover that I am real.”” [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Silence is avoided because people fear being unheard; constant talk prevents being used by silence **In simple terms:** People fill silence with talk to avoid feeling used by quiet Key Takeaway Recognize the value of silence and listen to it Themes communication silence self-awareness Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - creative writing - therapy sessions - personal reflection Key Concepts existential risk psychology of speech mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What might you learn about yourself if you truly listened to silence? - How does constant chatter affect your mental clarity? A Different Perspective Silence can reveal uncomfortable truths about oneself ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allow Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allow-silence-4512778/) [Chatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chatter/) [Listened Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listened-silence-1832803/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-dangerous-529342/) [Silence Discover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-discover-2315795/) ## Related quotes > [“allow the silence to speak louder than your thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-l-wooten/allow-the-silence-to-speak-louder-than-your-thoughts/) [Victor L. Wooten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-l-wooten/) > [“She listened to silence. Except the birds. The waves. A few voices in the distance. She would not turn to him. He had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-m-kaye/she-listened-to-silence-except-the-birds-the-waves-a-few-voices-in/) [Ella M. Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-m-kaye/) > [“I ceased the search to listen again, what the problem was. What’s going on at home? Why was Luccas calling out Jane’s name? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-ashby/i-ceased-the-search-to-listen-again-what-the-problem-was-what-s-going/) [Millicent Ashby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-ashby/) > [To be silent is not to lose your tongue. On the contrary, it is only through silence that one can discover something new to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-be-silent-is-not-to-lose-your-tongue-on-the-contrary-it-is-only/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“In silence we can discover who we really are and find peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-albin/in-silence-we-can-discover-who-we-really-are-and-find-peace/) [Colin Albin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-albin/) > [Silence, I discover, is something you can actually hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/silence-i-discover-is-something-you-can-actually-hear/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“A forced silence is a dangerous imposter, painting a canvas of safety while plotting our demise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-ann-fore/a-forced-silence-is-a-dangerous-imposter-painting-a-canvas-of-safety/) [Jo Ann Fore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-ann-fore/) > [“There is a silence. But sometimes it's as dangerous not to speak. "Yes, we are very happy," I murmur. I have to say something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-a-silence-but-sometimes-it-s-as-dangerous-not-to-speak-yes/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [In some causes silence is dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-some-causes-silence-is-dangerous/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Silence is very dangerous, especially when your words can be the only source of healing at a moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/silence-is-very-dangerous-especially-when-your-words-can-be-the-only/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Silence is dangerous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clark/silence-is-dangerous/) [Eric Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clark/) > [Poetry is the least imposition on silence in a world of chatter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/poetry-is-the-least-imposition-on-silence-in-a-world-of-chatter/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [They chatter together like birds on Cypress Hill, but all they say is 'Live, live, live, live, live!' It's all they've learned, it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/they-chatter-together-like-birds-on-cypress-hill-but-all-they-say-is/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) ## More by Madeleine L'Engle > [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) [Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## More Chatter quotes > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [They chatter together like birds on Cypress Hill, but all they say is 'Live, live, live, live, live!' It's all they've learned, it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/they-chatter-together-like-birds-on-cypress-hill-but-all-they-say-is/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [When the insane people start the chatter, there's no way to win that fight. It's literally like arguing with someone who is speaking another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-konner/when-the-insane-people-start-the-chatter-there-s-no-way-to-win-that/) [Jennifer Konner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-konner/) > [Poetry is the least imposition on silence in a world of chatter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/poetry-is-the-least-imposition-on-silence-in-a-world-of-chatter/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [I think that people are constantly thinking about capturing things that they're not actually present for the moment they're trying to capture. I'm quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/i-think-that-people-are-constantly-thinking-about-capturing-things/) [Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/) > [“...the presence of others has become even more intolerable to me, their conversation most of all. Oh, how it all annoys and exasperates me:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-presence-of-others-has-become-even-more-intolerable-to-me-their/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [Salesforce's Chatter is what convinced me that the company understood what is going on in the enterprise; this was the biggest attraction for me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-rangaswami/salesforce-s-chatter-is-what-convinced-me-that-the-company-understood/) [J.P. Rangaswami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-rangaswami/) > [“Do not be deviated from your journey by the chatter of monkeys”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-bax/do-not-be-deviated-from-your-journey-by-the-chatter-of-monkeys/) [Timothy Bax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-bax/) > [All seasoned players know, or at least have felt, that when you are playing your best, you are much the same as in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/all-seasoned-players-know-or-at-least-have-felt-that-when-you-are/) [Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/) > [For themost of us, if we donot talkof ourselves, orat any rate of the individual circles of which we are the centres, we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/for-themost-of-us-if-we-donot-talkof-ourselves-orat-any-rate-of-the/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [We take for granted that we need to take showers, clean our house, and wash our clothes. Yet the mind and its thoughts need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/we-take-for-granted-that-we-need-to-take-showers-clean-our-house-and/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [I think most working relationships could benefit by excluding personal matters from the office chatter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/i-think-most-working-relationships-could-benefit-by-excluding/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [“to sit in the empty stands of a Florida ball park and hear the sounds of glove leather and chatter;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-sit-in-the-empty-stands-of-a-florida-ball-park-and-hear-the-sounds/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“as if languagelessness was a step up, in evolution, from the chatter of consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/as-if-languagelessness-was-a-step-up-in-evolution-from-the-chatter-of/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) [Browse all 169 Chatter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chatter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Silence is dangerous We never permit it. 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