ProverbCommunicationGerman origin

Reden ist Silber, Schweigen ist Gold

Meaning: Knowing when to keep quiet is worth more than speaking well.

Literally: Speaking is silver, silence is gold

Example: “Ich hätte in der Sitzung lieber nichts sagen sollen. Reden ist Silber, Schweigen ist Gold.” — I should have said nothing in the meeting: silence is golden.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, and 4 more languages

  • English: Silence is golden
  • French: Le silence est d'or (literally: Silence is of gold)
  • Spanish: El silencio es oro (literally: Silence is gold)
  • Japanese: 沈黙は金 (Chinmoku wa kin) (literally: Silence is gold)
  • Dutch: Spreken is zilver, zwijgen is goud (literally: Speech is silver, silence is gold)
  • Russian: Слово — серебро, молчание — золото (Slovo — serebro, molchanie — zoloto) (literally: Speech is silver, silence is gold)
  • Polish: Mowa jest srebrem, a milczenie złotem (literally: Speech is silver and silence is gold)
  • Arabic: السكوت من ذهب (As-sukūt min dhahab) (literally: Silence is made of gold)
  • Turkish: Söz gümüşse sükût altındır (literally: If speech is silver, silence is gold)

Origin: Thomas Carlyle brought it into English in Sartor Resartus (1830s), quoting it as a Swiss inscription: Sprechen ist silbern, Schweigen ist golden. English kept mostly the second half, silence is golden.

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