“It is always observable that silence propagates itself, and that the longer talk has been suspended, the more difficult it is to find any thing to say.”

— Samuel Johnson

The Adventurer, # 84 (August 25, 1753) http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12050
Variant: Silence propagates itself, and the longer talk has been suspended, the more difficult it is to find anything to say.

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Samuel Johnson 362

English writer 1709–1784

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Context: It is better wither to be silent, or to say things of more value than silence. Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word; and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few.