---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conversation in its true meaning isn't…"
description: "\"Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the tongue; sometimes it is a deeply shared silence.\" — Robertson Davies"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/robertson-davies-834_communication_conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-a_1945382.png"
---

#  Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the…

![“Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the tongue; sometimes it is a deeply shared silence.” quote by Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/robertson-davies-834_communication_conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-a_1945382.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/robertson-davies-834_communication_conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-a_1945382.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/robertson-davies-834_communication_conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-a_1945382.png)

> “Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the tongue; sometimes it is a deeply shared silence.”

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True conversation can be silence that deeply connects people beyond words.

**In simple terms:** Silence can be profound communication.

Key Takeaway

Value shared silence in relationships.

Themes

communication silence connection

Mood

reflective calm

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation groups
- therapy sessions
- friendship moments
- family gatherings

Key Concepts

Phenomenology interpersonal dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- When has silence spoken louder than words?
- How do you recognize meaningful silence?

A Different Perspective

Silence may be misinterpreted as disengagement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/)

## Related quotes

> [“Many months would pass before I understood that people bond more deeply over shared brokenness than they do over shared beliefs.” 18”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/many-months-would-pass-before-i-understood-that-people-bond-more/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [and I wondered if, in the end, this is how all disputes are settled, with a shared silence as things become equal. You take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/and-i-wondered-if-in-the-end-this-is-how-all-disputes-are-settled/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“For a second none of us said anything, and I wondered if, in the end, this is how all disputes are settled, with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-a-second-none-of-us-said-anything-and-i-wondered-if-in-the-end/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Have a cup of coffee and a conversation with a True Hippie…And Your day will not betray you a of peaceful day... ®®®' xxggt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-trujillo/have-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-conversation-with-a-true-hippie-and-your/)

George Trujillo

> [“The great charm of conversation consists less in the display of one’s own wit and intelligence, than in the power to draw forth the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-great-charm-of-conversation-consists-less-in-the-display-of-one-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's such an overused phrase: 'to be part of the conversation.' But it's true. It is nice to be part of the conversation -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/it-s-such-an-overused-phrase-to-be-part-of-the-conversation-but-it-s/)

[Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/)

> [“The allegation that English girls had no conversation must be true; but theirs was a SPEAKING silence. Their eyes and smiles were eloquent! She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-allegation-that-english-girls-had-no-conversation-must-be-true/)

[Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/)

> [How often, when we have been nearest each other bodily, have we really been farthest off! Our tongues were the witty foils with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/how-often-when-we-have-been-nearest-each-other-bodily-have-we-really/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“Make sure he's worth it. She had thought it so many times it had become a part of her. Like her tongue filling her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccarty/make-sure-he-s-worth-it-she-had-thought-it-so-many-times-it-had/)

Colleen McCarty

> [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/)

[Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [On July 26, 1916, I announced to all my friends in America that from now on I resolved to write no more poems in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/on-july-26-1916-i-announced-to-all-my-friends-in-america-that-from/)

[Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/)

> [“He grabbed a pancake off the nearest plate, tore a bite-sized piece off, and held it in front of her lips. Her nostrils flared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-summers/he-grabbed-a-pancake-off-the-nearest-plate-tore-a-bite-sized-piece/)

[Eden Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-summers/)

> [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/)

[Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/)

## More by Robertson Davies

> [“...the irrational will have its say, perhaps because 'irrational' is the wrong word for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-irrational-will-have-its-say-perhaps-because-irrational-is-the/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [If you're going to do something that looks evil, don't smear it with icing and pretend it's good; just bloody well do it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-you-re-going-to-do-something-that-looks-evil-don-t-smear-it-with/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/extraordinary-people-survive-under-the-most-terrible-circumstances/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [If I had to describe my remarks this evening frankly as if I were in police court and on oath, so to speak I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-i-had-to-describe-my-remarks-this-evening-frankly-as-if-i-were-in/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other nation in history, love to abase themselves and proclaim their unworthiness, and seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-people-of-the-united-states-perhaps-more-than-any-other-nation-in/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [I don't suppose God laughs at the people who think He doesn't exist. He's above jokes. But the devil isn't. That's one of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/i-don-t-suppose-god-laughs-at-the-people-who-think-he-doesn-t-exist/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/inactivity-and-deprivation-of-all-accustomed-stimulus-is-not-rest-it/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [“My lifelong involvement with Mrs Dempster began at 5:58 o'clock p.m. on 27 December 1908, at which time I was ten years and seven months old.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/my-lifelong-involvement-with-mrs-dempster-began-at-5-58-o-clock-p-m/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/in-a-government-like-ours-the-crown-is-the-abiding-and-unshakable/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [The art of the quoter is to know when to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-art-of-the-quoter-is-to-know-when-to-stop/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [There can be no doubt that Samuel Marchbanks is one of the choice and master spirits of this age. If there were such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-samuel-marchbanks-is-one-of-the-choice-and/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Nobody who looks as though he enjoyed life is ever called distinguished, though he is a man in a million.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/nobody-who-looks-as-though-he-enjoyed-life-is-ever-called/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [They're all so highly educated, you know. Education is a great shield against experience. It offers so much, ready-made and all from the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/they-re-all-so-highly-educated-you-know-education-is-a-great-shield/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Students today are a pretty solemn lot. One of the really notable achievements of the twentieth century has been to make the young old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/students-today-are-a-pretty-solemn-lot-one-of-the-really-notable/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

[Explore all 357 Robertson Davies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the tongue; sometimes it is a deeply shared silence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robertson Davies"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-all-wagging-the-tongue/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-all-wagging-the-tongue/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/robertson-davies-834_communication_conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-a_1945382.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/robertson-davies-834_communication_conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-a_1945382.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/robertson-davies-834_communication_conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-a_1945382.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the tongue; sometimes it is a deeply shared silence.” — Robertson Davies",
                "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": "Robertson Davies",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Conversation in its true meaning isn't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-all-wagging-the-tongue/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/conversation-in-its-true-meaning-isn-t-all-wagging-the-tongue/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
