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The things you do not have to say make you rich. Saying things you do not have to say weakens your talk. Hearing things you do not need to hear dulls your hearing. And things you know before you hear them — those are you, those are why you are in the world.
William Stafford
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Value lies in unspoken truths and inner knowledge.

This quote emphasizes that true richness comes from the unexpressed thoughts and experiences we hold within ourselves. When we speak unnecessarily or listen to redundant information, we diminish the depth of our communication and understanding, suggesting that our authentic selves and reasons for being lie in the knowledge we carry silently.

Themes

WisdomCommunicationSilenceInner KnowledgeSelf-Awareness

In practice

Example use cases

In a workshop about communication skills, this quote could be shared to illustrate the importance of listening and the power of silence.

More from William Stafford

I keep following this sort of hidden river of my life, you know, whatever the topic or impulse which comes, I follow it along trustingly. And I don't have any sense of its coming to a kind of crescendo, or of its petering out either. It is just going steadily along.
William StaffordRead
They miss the whisper that runs any day in your mind, "Who are you really, wanderer?"-- and the answer you have to give no matter how dark and cold the world around you is: "Maybe I'm a king.
William StaffordRead
A speech is something you say so as to distract attention from what you do not say.
William StaffordRead
A poem is a serious joke, a truth that has learned jujitsu.
William StaffordRead
So, the world happens twice--_x000D_ once what we see it as;_x000D_ second it legends itself_x000D_ deep, the way it is.
William StaffordRead
The earth says have a place, be what that place_x000D_ requires; hear the sound the birds imply_x000D_ and see as deep as ridges go behind_x000D_ each other.
William StaffordRead

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A little wisdom, now and then

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