“For language to have meaning, there must be intervals of silence somewhere, to divide word from word and utterance from utterance. He who retires into silence does not necessarily hate language. Perhaps it is love and respect for language which imposes silence upon him. For the mercy of God is not heard in words unless it is heard, both before and after the words are spoken, in silence,” —Thomas Merton, “Philosophy of Silence,” in Disputed Questions , (NY: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1960), p. 181
This quote from Thomas Merton impacts me today as I wait out my illness and find more comfort in silence than in my usually talking too much. When to speak and when to be silent is something I struggle to learn. We all need silence between words.
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