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Silence does not always mark wisdom.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Silence is not a sign of intelligence or wisdom.

This quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge suggests that just because someone is quiet or does not speak often, it does not mean they possess wisdom or insight. Active participation in discourse can also display understanding and knowledge, indicating that wisdom is more than just the absence of words; it encompasses knowledge, experience, and the ability to express thoughts effectively.

Themes

SilenceWisdomIntelligenceCommunicationThought

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the importance of communication in the workplace, one could say, 'Remember, silence does not always mark wisdom.'

More from Samuel Taylor Coleridge

We ought not to extract pernicious honey from poison blossoms of misrepresentation and mendacious half-truth, to pamper the course appetite of bigotry and self-love.
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Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
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And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread, For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.
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Often do the spirits stride on before the event; and in today already walks tomorrow.
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Mr. Lyell's system of geology is just half the truth, and no more. He affirms a great deal that is true, and he denies a great deal which is equally true; which is the general characteristic of all systems not embracing the whole truth.
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To believe and to understand are not diverse things, but the same things in different periods of growth.
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