“A Frenchman must be always talking, whether he knows anything of the matter or not; an Englishman is content to say nothing, when he has nothing to say.”
1780, p. 446
Life of Samuel Johnson (1791), Vol IV
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Samuel Johnson 362
English writer 1709–1784Related quotes

“When he has nothing to say, he lets words speak.”
J. Agee, trans. (1989), p. 147
Das Geheimherz der Uhr [The Secret Heart of the Clock] (1987)

“If a person never contradicts himself, it must be that he says nothing.”

“The true writer has nothing to say. What counts is the way he says it.”

“One always speaks badly when one has nothing to say.”
On parle toujours mal quand on n'a rien à dire.
"Commentaires sur Corneille," Oeuvres complètes de Voltaire (1827)
Citas

"To the Indianapolis Clergy." The Iconoclast (Indianapolis, IN) (1883)
"I want everything" in What I Want from Life (1934) edited by Edmund George Cousins, p. 108
Context: The cynic says "blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for he shall not be disappointed." I say "blessed is he who expecteth everything, for he can't always be disappointed."