ProverbMoralityGerman origin

Wer schweigt, stimmt zu

Meaning: Silence is taken as agreement.

Literally: He who stays silent agrees

Example: “Niemand hat widersprochen, also gilt der Vorschlag. Wer schweigt, stimmt zu.” — Nobody objected, so the proposal stands: silence gives consent.

Equivalents in English

Origin: A rule of canon law in Latin, qui tacet consentire videtur, he who is silent is taken to agree, set down in the decretals of Pope Boniface VIII (1298).

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