Maurice Merleau-Ponty Quotes

Speech is one symptom of affection; and silence one; the perfect communication is heard of none.

Good as is discourse, silence is better and shames it.

Good as is discourse, silence is better, and shames it. The length of the discourse indicates the distance of thought betwixt the speaker and the hearer. If they were at a perfect understanding in any part, no words would be necessary thereon. If at one in all parts, no words would be suffered.

It's not that I don't like words. There's sometimes no need for words.

Sometimes you have to be silent to be heard.

The sheer act of listening speaks volumes that even a great speech can't communicate.

Speech may be barren; but it is ridiculous to suppose that silence is always brooding on a nestful of eggs.

We're fascinated by the words--but where we meet is in the silence behind them.

Her silence was the blank space between the words.

People often ask me questions that I cannot very well answer in words, and it makes me sad to think they are unable to hear the voice of my silence.

I think communication starts when words are not present at all ... I think we put so much emphasis on language, actually silence is so much more important.

You don't need to be told some things. You can sometimes tell more by a man's silence and the set of his head than by what he says.

It is silence that most needs an answering -- when I can no longer speak, hear me.

There is a silence, the child of love, which expresses everything, and proclaims more loudly than the tongue is able to do.

Silence remains, inescapably, a form of speech.

Communication is important.

You see young people, or kids, and they're fascinated by the way people talk. And that's great. But eventually you get to the point where you think, 'You know what? I don't care how you talk, I'm just listening to what you're saying.'

I have no message.

He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.

There are times when the power of language is not the power that is needed.

I think there's a great deal of information you can convey with looks or silence.

People that don't talk are constipated. I'm sorry, but if you can't communicate, what do you have? You have nothing.

Sometimes you don't have to say anything. Silence speaks it all.

If God had wanted us to talk more than listen, he would have given us two mouths rather than two ears.