Silence is golden

Meaning: Sometimes it's better to say nothing.

Origin: Arabic proverb, popularized in English by Thomas Carlyle in 1831.

Translations

• 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)

More proverbs about Communication

• Actions speak louder than words — What you do matters more than what you say.
• Empty vessels make the most noise — Those who know the least often talk the most.
• Still waters run deep — Quiet people often have great depth of character.
• Barking dogs seldom bite — People who make threats rarely carry them out.
• A picture is worth a thousand words — Visual information communicates more effectively than text.
• The squeaky wheel gets the grease — Those who complain the most get attention.

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…