--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Silence is the language of inertia." description: "\"Silence is the language of inertia.\" — Margaret Heffernan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/margaret-heffernan-6923_inertia_silence-is-the-language-of-inertia-23467_2346734.jpg" --- # Silence is the language of inertia. ![“Silence is the language of inertia.” quote by Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/margaret-heffernan-6923_inertia_silence-is-the-language-of-inertia-23467_2346734.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/margaret-heffernan-6923_inertia_silence-is-the-language-of-inertia-23467_2346734.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/margaret-heffernan-6923_inertia_silence-is-the-language-of-inertia-23467_2346734.jpg) > “Silence is the language of inertia.” [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Inertia thrives when people avoid speaking up; silence maintains the status quo. **In simple terms:** Silence keeps things unchanged. Key Takeaway Speak up to break stagnation. Themes communication inertia change silence leadership Mood thoughtful cautious Type motivational critical When to use this quote - team meetings - public policy debates - family discussions Key Concepts Organizational dynamics psychology of silence courage Questions to Reflect On - When have you stayed silent and why? - What risks come with speaking out? A Different Perspective Speaking may provoke conflict or backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-inertia-5699624/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-is/) [Silence Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-language-1410125/) ## Related quotes > [silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/silence-is-the-language-of-god-all-else-is-poor-translation/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Silence is the language of God; it is also the language of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/silence-is-the-language-of-god-it-is-also-the-language-of-the-heart/) [Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/) > [The language of silence is the language of God, the language of silence is the language of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/the-language-of-silence-is-the-language-of-god-the-language-of/) [Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/) > [Silence is the only language of the realized. Practice moderation in speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/silence-is-the-only-language-of-the-realized-practice-moderation-in/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [“Silence is a language in itself. Perhaps the loudest and most beautiful of them all!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-sequeira/silence-is-a-language-in-itself-perhaps-the-loudest-and-most/) [Tina Sequeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-sequeira/) > [We know - intellectually - that confronting an issue is the only way to resolve it. But any resolution will disrupt the status quo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/we-know-intellectually-that-confronting-an-issue-is-the-only-way-to/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [My preference is for prose with more silence in it, language that contains more pockets of strangeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/my-preference-is-for-prose-with-more-silence-in-it-language-that/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“Silence is a language not all people understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdel-halim-boudekhana/silence-is-a-language-not-all-people-understand/) [Abdel Halim Boudekhana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdel-halim-boudekhana/) > [My silence is a language which you will never understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-silence-is-a-language-which-you-will-never-understand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Silence is a language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghav-upmanyu/silence-is-a-language/) [Raghav Upmanyu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghav-upmanyu/) > [Silence the language of jealousy, fortunately no hindrance to ones happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmina-siderovski/silence-the-language-of-jealousy-fortunately-no-hindrance-to-ones/) [Jasmina Siderovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmina-siderovski/) > [The transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self-revelation .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/the-transformation-of-silence-into-language-and-action-is-an-act-of/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“Silence has its own language and in that silence he found words within himself; words for her, words for him and words for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faraaz-kazi/silence-has-its-own-language-and-in-that-silence-he-found-words/) [Faraaz Kazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faraaz-kazi/) > [We switch to another language-- not our invented language or the language we've learned from our lives. As we walk further up the mountain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-switch-to-another-language-not-our-invented-language-or-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Silence is the only language god speaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/silence-is-the-only-language-god-speaks/) [Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/) ## More by Margaret Heffernan > [Companies are bought for their revenue, customer base, technology, or people. A few great companies offer all of these, but any valuable business offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/companies-are-bought-for-their-revenue-customer-base-technology-or/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [The biggest catastrophes that we've witnessed rarely come from information that is secret or hidden. It comes from information that is freely available and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-biggest-catastrophes-that-we-ve-witnessed-rarely-come-from/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [I haven't always hated McDonald's. When my kids were little and I lived in the U.S., they were as susceptible as anyone to Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-haven-t-always-hated-mcdonald-s-when-my-kids-were-little-and-i/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [I hate people walking down the street listening to the soundtrack of their lives which responds to them but not their setting. I hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-hate-people-walking-down-the-street-listening-to-the-soundtrack-of/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [The vast literature concerning whistleblowers shows that, far from weird extremists, they are really quite ordinary people: male and female, young and old, junior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-vast-literature-concerning-whistleblowers-shows-that-far-from/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [“Indeed, there seems to be some evidence not only that all love is based on illusion — but that love positively requires illusion in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/indeed-there-seems-to-be-some-evidence-not-only-that-all-love-is/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [Clearing your head of distractions in order to notice and understand the people you are with can feel inefficient - there are so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/clearing-your-head-of-distractions-in-order-to-notice-and-understand/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [We treasure what we can measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/we-treasure-what-we-can-measure/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [I don't mind if the couple next to me is tense or the kids are whiny. I'd even be happy to hear an honest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-don-t-mind-if-the-couple-next-to-me-is-tense-or-the-kids-are-whiny/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [British innovation in design, in the creative arts, in engineering and manufacturing is world class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/british-innovation-in-design-in-the-creative-arts-in-engineering-and/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [Huge open source organizations like Red Hat and Mozilla manage the collaboration of hundreds of people who don't know one another and have spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/huge-open-source-organizations-like-red-hat-and-mozilla-manage-the/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [Words are how people think. When you misuse words, you diminish your ability to think clearly and truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/words-are-how-people-think-when-you-misuse-words-you-diminish-your/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [“Humans do not have enough mental capacity to do all the things that we think we can do. As attentional load increases, attentional capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/humans-do-not-have-enough-mental-capacity-to-do-all-the-things-that/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [“Those who consistently attempt multitasking find it harder to ignore irrelevant information and take longer moving between tasks—in other words, for all their frantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/those-who-consistently-attempt-multitasking-find-it-harder-to-ignore/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [The healthiest companies are always characterized by organic talent development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-healthiest-companies-are-always-characterized-by-organic-talent/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) [Explore all 96 Margaret Heffernan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) ## More Inertia quotes > [Change is not overcoming inertia as much as it is redirecting, guiding, tweaking what already is and what has already happened. We must believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/change-is-not-overcoming-inertia-as-much-as-it-is-redirecting-guiding/) [Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/) > [Sometimes you make up your mind about something without knowing why, and your decision persists by the power of inertia. Every year it gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/sometimes-you-make-up-your-mind-about-something-without-knowing-why/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“We know how ninety-nine percent of the universe works," he told Carter shortly after they met, "and that's the clockworks, that's what we build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-david-gold/we-know-how-ninety-nine-percent-of-the-universe-works-he-told-carter/) [Glen David Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-david-gold/) > [It takes forever if you go by inertia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/it-takes-forever-if-you-go-by-inertia/) [Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/) > [“When describing me, Tracy often refers to a well-known concept of physics: 'inertia.' As Newton avers in his first law: 'An object that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox-2/when-describing-me-tracy-often-refers-to-a-well-known-concept-of/) [Michael J Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox-2/) > [All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-brande/all-that-is-necessary-to-break-the-spell-of-inertia-and-frustration/) [Dorothea Brande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-brande/) > [“You know, the whole thing about perfectionism. The perfectionism is very dangerous. Because of course if your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-know-the-whole-thing-about-perfectionism-the-perfectionism-is/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [LAOCOON, n. A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Nothing happens until something moves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-happens-until-something-moves/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Inertia accounts for two-thirds of marriages. But love accounts for the other third.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/inertia-accounts-for-two-thirds-of-marriages-but-love-accounts-for/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I don't think America needs 28,000 men on Okinawa. I don't think we need an army in Germany. What's it for, to protect Germans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/i-don-t-think-america-needs-28-000-men-on-okinawa-i-don-t-think-we/) [Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/) > [I know, that since life is our most precious gift, and as far as we can be absolutely certain, it's given to us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-know-that-since-life-is-our-most-precious-gift-and-as-far-as-we-can/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“In this world is not the creative act of the genius always a protest against the inertia of the mass?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/in-this-world-is-not-the-creative-act-of-the-genius-always-a-protest/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The idea of salvation through some one or some thing outside of ourselves came from love of inertia. We want God or his Son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-moore-hubbard/the-idea-of-salvation-through-some-one-or-some-thing-outside-of/) [Alice Moore Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-moore-hubbard/) > [Human inertia makes the everyday environment, the furniture, as it were, appear to be a given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-gitlin/human-inertia-makes-the-everyday-environment-the-furniture-as-it-were/) [Todd Gitlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-gitlin/) [Browse all 237 Inertia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Silence is the language of inertia.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Heffernan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/silence-is-the-language-of-inertia/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inertia" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/silence-is-the-language-of-inertia/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/margaret-heffernan-6923_inertia_silence-is-the-language-of-inertia-23467_2346734.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/margaret-heffernan-6923_inertia_silence-is-the-language-of-inertia-23467_2346734.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/margaret-heffernan-6923_inertia_silence-is-the-language-of-inertia-23467_2346734.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Silence is the language of inertia.” — Margaret Heffernan", "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": "Margaret Heffernan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Silence is the language of inertia.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/silence-is-the-language-of-inertia/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/silence-is-the-language-of-inertia/#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 } } ] } ```