Richard Foster Quotes

Speak only if it improves upon the silence.

An old Zen rule of thumb is not to answer until one has been asked three times.

Speech is great, but silence is greater.

I have not yet learned to keep still.

There is a lot of silence in me, and I feel that silence is often better than spoken words.

Be a listener only, keep within yourself, and endeavor to establish within yourself the habit of silence, especially in politics.

Think a lot, say little, and write nothing.

Silence is the most powerful state.

I named this place Listening Point because only when one comes to listen, only when one is aware and still, can things be seen and heard. Everyone has a listening point somewhere. It does not have to be in the north or close to the wilderness, but someplace of quiet where the universe can be contemplated with awe.

Better the feet slip then the tongue.

It is but a small merit to observe silence, but it is a grave fault to speak of matters on which we should be silent.

It isn't necessary that you leave home. Sit at your desk and listen. Don't even listen, just wait. Don't wait, be still and alone. The whole world will offer itself to you.

...this time I didn't launch into my usual tirade. Was it a memory of Krishna, the cool silence with which he countered disagreement, that stopped me? I saw something I hadn't realized before: words wasted energy.

I think people can find a breath and listen sometimes.

In silence, we have an opportunity to reflect, listen, and gain new insights about ourselves. In silence, we can think, feel, and most important of all, breathe. When you seek guidance, understanding, clarity, or peace of mind, the first step is to master the art of silence and to rethink the value of solitude.

I've begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.

If we are silent when we should speak, we are not living the Discipline of silence. If we speak when we should be silent, we again miss the mark.

Now I must wait and be still and say nothing I don't know, nothing I haven't lived over and over, and that's everything.

Perhaps it is possible to discover more in silence than in speech. Or perhaps it is only that those who are silent among us learn to listen.

Teach your child to hold his tongue; he'll learn fast enough to speak.

Remember what Simonides said, that he never repented that he had held his tongue, but often that he had spoken.

To many mortals silence great gain brings.

Silence is so accurate.

Coaches have told me I can help the team much more if I don't talk, if I don't moan.

Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech.