--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Silence and solitude are more distracting…" description: "\"Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.\" — Marilu Henner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/marilu-henner-14158_chatter_silence-and-solitude-are-more-distractin_21320.jpg" --- # Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than… ![“Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.” quote by Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/marilu-henner-14158_chatter_silence-and-solitude-are-more-distractin_21320.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/marilu-henner-14158_chatter_silence-and-solitude-are-more-distractin_21320.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/marilu-henner-14158_chatter_silence-and-solitude-are-more-distractin_21320.jpg) > “Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.” [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker finds quiet and being alone more mentally disruptive than noisy environments, indicating a preference for external stimuli to focus thoughts. **In simple terms:** Quiet can be more unsettling than noise. Key Takeaway Some people need background chatter to concentrate. Themes attention distraction social preference environment focus Mood reflective contemplative Type observation personal insight When to use this quote - working in a library - studying at home - creative brainstorming - long drives Key Concepts stimulus cognitive load Practical Applications - designing open‑plan offices - creating ambient sound apps Questions to Reflect On - What environments help you think clearly? - How does silence affect your productivity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chatter/) [Distracting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracting/) [Distracting Chatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracting-chatter-398015/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-solitude-398014/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Solitude Distracting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude-distracting-398013/) ## Related quotes > [There is an old proverb to the effect that 'all those who open their mouths, close their eyes!' The purpose of silence and solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/there-is-an-old-proverb-to-the-effect-that-all-those-who-open-their/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [Seriously, I think it is a grave fault in life that so much time is wasted in social matters, because it not only takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/seriously-i-think-it-is-a-grave-fault-in-life-that-so-much-time-is/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [The heart beats louder and the soul hears quicker in silence and solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-heart-beats-louder-and-the-soul-hears-quicker-in-silence-and/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [It is really a matter of ending this silence and solitude, of breathing and stretching one's arms again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/it-is-really-a-matter-of-ending-this-silence-and-solitude-of/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [“This is the weird aftermath, when it is not exactly over, and yet you have given it up. You go back and forth in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/this-is-the-weird-aftermath-when-it-is-not-exactly-over-and-yet-you/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [Concerning the factors of silence, solitude and darkness, we can only say that they are actually elements in the production of the infantile anxiety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/concerning-the-factors-of-silence-solitude-and-darkness-we-can-only/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Not all of us are called to be hermits, but all of us need enough silence and solitude in our lives to enable the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/not-all-of-us-are-called-to-be-hermits-but-all-of-us-need-enough/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I have a scholar's love of silence and solitude. To sit and pass hour after hour in idle chatter with a roomful of strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/i-have-a-scholar-s-love-of-silence-and-solitude-to-sit-and-pass-hour/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [The ancient spiritual tradition is that God gives himself fully to us in silence and solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/the-ancient-spiritual-tradition-is-that-god-gives-himself-fully-to-us/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“It was either the chaos of a crowd of thoughts or the silence of solitude... nothing in between..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/it-was-either-the-chaos-of-a-crowd-of-thoughts-or-the-silence-of/) [Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/) > [Solitude in the city is about the lack of other people or rather their distance beyond a door or wall, but in remote places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/solitude-in-the-city-is-about-the-lack-of-other-people-or-rather/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [You grow your best thoughts in silence, solitude, and meditation. When you relax and think deeply, you are giving your inmost powers their best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grenville-kleiser/you-grow-your-best-thoughts-in-silence-solitude-and-meditation-when/) [Grenville Kleiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grenville-kleiser/) > [“I was terrified as only grown men and women can be when they wake up in the middle of the night and begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ageyev/i-was-terrified-as-only-grown-men-and-women-can-be-when-they-wake-up/) [M. Ageyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ageyev/) > [“Few of us can fully appreciate the terrible con­spiracy of noise there is about us, noise that denies us the silence and solitude we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-macdonald/few-of-us-can-fully-appreciate-the-terrible-con-spiracy-of-noise/) [Gordon MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-macdonald/) > [“The ideal man is he who, in the midst of the greatest silence and solitude, finds the intensest activity, and in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-ideal-man-is-he-who-in-the-midst-of-the-greatest-silence-and/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) ## More by Marilu Henner > [You just have to stoke that furnace throughout the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/you-just-have-to-stoke-that-furnace-throughout-the-day/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [After 19 years of experimenting, a thousand mistakes, over 400 books, at least 200 bad diets... and a partridge in a pear tree, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/after-19-years-of-experimenting-a-thousand-mistakes-over-400-books-at/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Its better to pace yourself throughout a big day like Thanksgiving by having something healthful for breakfast and something light for lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/its-better-to-pace-yourself-throughout-a-big-day-like-thanksgiving-by/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I'm a girl who loves to share information, especially empowering, life-changing, information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-m-a-girl-who-loves-to-share-information-especially-empowering-life/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I play the unsinkable Molly Brown, which is where she got her name from, because she survived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-play-the-unsinkable-molly-brown-which-is-where-she-got-her-name/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I love the way men smell. I love the way they taste, their texture, the way they're built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-love-the-way-men-smell-i-love-the-way-they-taste-their-texture-the/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Wherever my career takes me, I know I'll love getting there, because ever since I was 2 1/2 years old, I knew that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/wherever-my-career-takes-me-i-know-i-ll-love-getting-there-because/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I eat all of the time... at least five little meals a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-eat-all-of-the-time-at-least-five-little-meals-a-day/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Healthful whole foods improve our brain function as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/healthful-whole-foods-improve-our-brain-function-as-well/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I took anatomy classes. I went to medical libraries and talked to doctors and nutritionists. I did the whole thing before using myself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-took-anatomy-classes-i-went-to-medical-libraries-and-talked-to/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Often when a person can't get past stress, she will turn to overeating, drinking or smoking, which can become a greater problem than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/often-when-a-person-can-t-get-past-stress-she-will-turn-to-overeating/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [However, don't let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/however-don-t-let-perfectionism-become-an-excuse-for-never-getting/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I like getting up early. I get up around five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-like-getting-up-early-i-get-up-around-five/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [You know, one of the biggest thrills that I have is when famous people recognize me from "Taxi." When I was working with George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/you-know-one-of-the-biggest-thrills-that-i-have-is-when-famous-people/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [The more prepared I am, the more I'll be in control, less nervous, less stressed and more focused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/the-more-prepared-i-am-the-more-i-ll-be-in-control-less-nervous-less/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) [Explore all 47 Marilu Henner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [I don't immerse myself in the Internet chatter because it opens you up to a whole source of danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-don-t-immerse-myself-in-the-internet-chatter-because-it-opens-you/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) [Browse all 169 Chatter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chatter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilu Henner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chatter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/marilu-henner-14158_chatter_silence-and-solitude-are-more-distractin_21320.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/marilu-henner-14158_chatter_silence-and-solitude-are-more-distractin_21320.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/marilu-henner-14158_chatter_silence-and-solitude-are-more-distractin_21320.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.” — Marilu Henner", "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": "Marilu Henner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Silence and solitude are more distracting...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/#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 } } ] } ```