Hi Reader,

In response to one of my recent blog posts about listening, one of our podcast listeners wrote to tell me,

“John….I’m sure you know that the words ‘listen’ and ‘ silent’ are spelled with the same letters.”

Yes, I did know this, and I’m grateful for the reminder. It’s taken from a quote by Alfred Brendel.

Now, if you don’t know who Alfred Brendel is, I’d be happy to tell you all about him over dinner at your house. Wednesdays work best for me, but I’m flexible.

This all reminds me of other quotes I’ve come across that speak to how silence is an important listening skill. Here are a few of them:

If there was a little more silence, if we all kept quiet…maybe we could understand something. ~ Federico Fellini
Don't speak unless you can improve upon the silence. ~ Spanish proverb
There are times when good words are to be left unsaid out of esteem for silence. ~ The Rule of St. Benedict 6:2
We may need to rehearse silence more than we need to practice speech ~ Harriet Lerner
Silence made space for other people's words, which was important for those who needed to be listened to.
~ Rachel Simon, The Story of Beautiful Girl​
We need to find God; he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…We need silence to be able to touch souls.
~ Mother Theresa

Which of these quotes resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Also, do you remember the role silence plays in the Christmas story? Podcast episode 80 of You Were Made for This talks about it. Here’s the link:
080: A Christmas Gift of Silence​

Until next week, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.*

John Certalic

You Were Made for This is the podcast sponsored by Caring for Others, a missionary care ministry.

* The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene 2