--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An inability to stay quiet is one of the…" description: "\"An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.\" — Walter Bagehot" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/walter-bagehot-3686_failure_an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the_249704.png" --- # An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous… ![“An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.” quote by Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/walter-bagehot-3686_failure_an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the_249704.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/walter-bagehot-3686_failure_an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the_249704.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/walter-bagehot-3686_failure_an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the_249704.png) > “An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.” [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature often fails to remain silent, leading to many societal problems. **In simple terms:** People tend to talk too much, causing issues. Key Takeaway Cultivate listening and restraint. Themes communication silence human flaws Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - political discourse - workplace meetings - family gatherings - social media - education Key Concepts sociology ethics Questions to Reflect On - When is speaking essential? - How can silence be constructive? A Different Perspective Silence can also suppress needed truth or dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [All the inducements of early society tend to foster immediate action; all its penalties fall on the man who pauses; the traditional wisdom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/all-the-inducements-of-early-society-tend-to-foster-immediate-action/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [“Stay quiet and people tell you amazing truths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-rodriguez/stay-quiet-and-people-tell-you-amazing-truths/) Linda Rodriguez > [Sometimes it's best to stay quiet. Except the silence can speak volumes without ever saying a word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/sometimes-it-s-best-to-stay-quiet-except-the-silence-can-speak/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Once that is clearly understood, I think that each of us can stay quietly in the state in which nature has placed him. since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/once-that-is-clearly-understood-i-think-that-each-of-us-can-stay/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I turn my cheek and stay quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/i-turn-my-cheek-and-stay-quiet/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [“For most of us, even if the 'with us or against us' mandate sounds a little like oversimplified BS, it still feels easier and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/for-most-of-us-even-if-the-with-us-or-against-us-mandate-sounds-a/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm the type of skater that needs to stay upbeat and relaxed, open, because if I stay quiet, I get in my head, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-wagner/i-m-the-type-of-skater-that-needs-to-stay-upbeat-and-relaxed-open/) [Ashley Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-wagner/) > [We made our debut in Japan about few years ago and when we went on a morning show there to promote our album, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/we-made-our-debut-in-japan-about-few-years-ago-and-when-we-went-on-a/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [Shame cannot survive being spoken. It cannot tolerate having words wrapped around it. What it craves is secrecy, silence, and judgment. If you stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/shame-cannot-survive-being-spoken-it-cannot-tolerate-having-words/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“I am the dinosaur of love. Specifically, I am a pterodactyl, and you are my silent “p.” Stay quiet woman!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-am-the-dinosaur-of-love-specifically-i-am-a-pterodactyl-and-you-are/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“I lived through this horror, and no one can tell me I have to stay quiet. "I have been silenced long enough, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-merryn/i-lived-through-this-horror-and-no-one-can-tell-me-i-have-to-stay/) [Erin Merryn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-merryn/) > [Sometimes when the people you love hurt you the most. Its better to stay quiet because if your love wasn't enough. Do you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/sometimes-when-the-people-you-love-hurt-you-the-most-its-better-to/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The main place for Truth is the Tongue, Love resides in the Heart, and Compassion lives in ones Eyes. If someone asks, what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-main-place-for-truth-is-the-tongue-love-resides-in-the-heart-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I stay quiet, it doesn't mean I've nothing to say. It means I don't think you're ready to hear my words. Sometimes we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-stay-quiet-it-doesn-t-mean-i-ve-nothing-to-say-it-means-i-don/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The emphasis was on “soft.” No matter what else happened, the wranglers were to stay soft while riding the horses. Soft hands, soft seat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rashid/the-emphasis-was-on-soft-no-matter-what-else-happened-the-wranglers/) [Mark Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rashid/) ## More by Walter Bagehot > [But of all nations in the world the English are perhaps the least a nation of pure philosophers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/but-of-all-nations-in-the-world-the-english-are-perhaps-the-least-a/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights - the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-sovereign-has-under-a-constitutional-monarchy-such-as-ours-three/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The most essential mental quality for a free people, whose liberty is to be progressive, permanent and on a large scale, is much stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-most-essential-mental-quality-for-a-free-people-whose-liberty-is/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Adventure is the life of commerce, but caution is the life of banking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/adventure-is-the-life-of-commerce-but-caution-is-the-life-of-banking/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [A severe though not unfriendly critic of our institutions said that the cure for admiring the House of Lords was to go and look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/a-severe-though-not-unfriendly-critic-of-our-institutions-said-that/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Nothing is more unpleasant than a virtuous person with a mean mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/nothing-is-more-unpleasant-than-a-virtuous-person-with-a-mean-mind/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [What impresses men is not mind, but the result of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/what-impresses-men-is-not-mind-but-the-result-of-mind/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Most men of business think "Anyhow this system will probably last my time. It has gone on a long time, and is likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/most-men-of-business-think-anyhow-this-system-will-probably-last-my/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Life is a school of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/life-is-a-school-of-probability/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [When great questions end, little parties begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/when-great-questions-end-little-parties-begin/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The peculiar essence of our banking system is an unprecedented trust between man and man. And when that trust is much weakened by hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-peculiar-essence-of-our-banking-system-is-an-unprecedented-trust/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The habit of common and continuous speech is a symptom of mental deficiency. It proceeds from not knowing what is going on in other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-habit-of-common-and-continuous-speech-is-a-symptom-of-mental/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Not only does a bureaucracy tend to under-government in point of quality; it tends to over-government in point of quantity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/not-only-does-a-bureaucracy-tend-to-under-government-in-point-of/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [In early times every sort of advantage tends to become a military advantage; such is the best way, then, to keep it alive. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/in-early-times-every-sort-of-advantage-tends-to-become-a-military/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [A bureaucracy is sure to think that its duty is to augment official power, official business, or official members, rather than to leave free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/a-bureaucracy-is-sure-to-think-that-its-duty-is-to-augment-official/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) [Explore all 123 Walter Bagehot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Bagehot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the-conspicuous-failings-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the-conspicuous-failings-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/walter-bagehot-3686_failure_an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the_249704.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/walter-bagehot-3686_failure_an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the_249704.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/walter-bagehot-3686_failure_an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the_249704.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.” — Walter Bagehot", "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": "Walter Bagehot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An inability to stay quiet is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the-conspicuous-failings-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the-conspicuous-failings-of/#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 } } ] } ```