The forest would be silent if no bird sang except the one that sang best

Meaning: Everyone has a unique contribution; holding back out of self-doubt robs the world.

Origin: Attributed to Henry Van Dyke, American poet and clergyman of the 19th century.

Translations

• French: La forêt serait silencieuse si aucun oiseau ne chantait sauf le meilleur (literally: The forest would be silent if only the best bird sang)
• Spanish: El bosque estaría en silencio si solo cantara el pájaro que mejor canta (literally: The forest would be silent if only the best-singing bird sang)
• Japanese: 最も上手く歌う鳥だけが歌うなら、森は沈黙するだろう (Mottomo umaku utau tori dake ga utau nara, mori wa chinmoku suru darō) (literally: If only the best singing bird sang, the forest would be silent)

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