A German proverb says: “Speech is Silver. Silence is Gold; speech is human, silence is divine”. There is a good deal of truth in this saying. It is speech, which helps us to make our intentions and desires known to our fellows. It makes our attitude completely understood. The use of cautious and polite words brings friends for us. All the popular leaders of the world know the art of speaking. It is the knowledge of this art that wins them friends and popularity everywhere. Words spoken by men and women in earnest but mellow tones of familiar speech are richer than the richest music. They are a delight while they are heard. They linger still upon the ears in softened echoes. Even when they have ceased, they come back to the memory like the murmurs of distant hymns.
The use of speech, however, has to be very cautious. The use of unusual or ambiguous words may create an enemy where we had hoped to win a friend. Goldsmith has rightly said, “An unlucky word dropped by the tongue cannot be brought back by a coach and six horses”. Hence the golden rule is, “Speak only when you have something to say and when you have said it, become silent”. A silent man is often reputed to be wise. Carlyle very appropriately remarks, “What a strange power there is in silence; how many resolutions are formed, how many sublime conquests effected, during that pause when lips are closed, and the soul secretly feels the eye of its maker upon itself. They are the strong ones on earth who know how to keep silence”.
- Mrigha Gupta (Presentation Convent Sr. Sec. School, Jammu).