“What they had talked themselves into, they could be silent out of.”

“They talked quietly, lying on their backs and letting the words float up to the ceiling as though they were talking to themselves. By reason of their calmness they could tell each other everything without shame, without its sounding like a confession. Nor were they surprised at what they found out about each other.”

“Fools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen.”

“You could tell by the way he talked, though, that he had gone to school a long time. That was probably what was wrong with him.”

“I get tired of talking when I want to be silent.”

“If I would really start talking, you would become silent.”

“It was bewildering and humbling to keep discovering how many brave things people can fail to talk themselves out of doing.”

“Waiting silently is the hardest thing of all. I was dying to talk to Jim and about Jim. But the things that we feel most deeply we ought to learn to be silent about, at least until we have talked them over thoroughly with God.”

“If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.”

“It is beautiful to talk about beautiful things and even more beautiful to silently gaze at them.”