At a monastery high in the mountains, the monks have a rigid vow of silence. Only at Christmas, and only by one monk, and only with one sentence, is the vow allowed to be broken.
One Christmas, Brother Ben is allowed to speak and he says, “I like the mashed potatoes we have with the Christmas turkey!” and he sits down. Silence ensues for 365 days.
The next Christmas, Brother David gets his turn, and he says, “I think the mashed potatoes are lumpy and I hate them!”
Once again, silence for 366 days (it’s leap year). The following Christmas, Brother Rod rises and says, “I am fed up with this constant bickering!”
expressive silence - James Thomson
She who is silent consents. - French Proverb
The law is silent during war. - Cicero
Silence is the mother of truth. - Benjamin Disraeli
Luxury is solitude and silence. - Paul-Henri Spaak
Your very silence shows you agree. - Euripides
Silence does not always mark wisdom. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Silence is more eloquent than words. - Thomas Carlyle
Silence is sometimes the best answer. - Dalai Lama
When money speaks, truth keeps silent. - Russian Proverb
Silence is the ultimate weapon of power. - Charles de Gaulle
I like my men like I like my coffee. Silent. - Anna Kendrick
God is silent. Now if only man would shut up. - Woody Allen
Silence is a place of great power and healing. - Rachel N Remen
Silence is argument carried out by other means. - Ernesto Che Guevara
A story is told as much by silence as by speech. - Susan Griffin
How do I learn to speak when silence is all I know? - Susie Clevenger
Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I'm walking backwards for Christmas Across the Irish Sea. - Spike Milligan
Tenderness is greater proof of love than the most passionate of vows. - Marlene Dietrich
To be born in India is to arrive into the world swimming in religion. - Ravi Zacharias
If everybody thought before they spoke, the silence would be deafening. - Gerald Barzan
Give me a couple of pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture. - Cecil B. DeMille
Church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members. - William Temple
He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words. - Elbert Hubbard
If I get married again, I want a guy there with a drum to do rim shots during the vows. - Sam Kinison
Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongue. - Old Testament
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal
Religion is like a map. The route isn't important. It's the destination that matters. - Marianne Williamson
If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet... maybe we could understand something. - Federico Fellini
Going to Church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile. - Billy Sunday
Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I am in, therein to be content. - Helen Keller
You must mind and not lower the Church in people's eyes by seeming to be frightened about it for such a little thing. - George Eliot
Some movie stars wear their sunglasses even in Church. They're afraid God might recognize them and ask for autographs. - Fred Allen
Remembering is a gift - a silent gift, because it roots us in reality while at the same time pointing us towards eternity. - Raphael Anzenberger
Did you read about Starbucks? No more "Merry Christmas" at Starbucks. No more. Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. - Donald Trump
I went to a Catholic boys' school for a year, but that was to play hockey. Religion class was quite contentious for me. - Keanu Reeves
Every sort of energy and endurance, of courage and capacity for handling life's evils, is set free in those who have religious faith. - William James
I you can make any leading religion of the world look like complete nonsense, you can be sure of only one thing: you haven't understood it. - Wilfred Cantwell Smith
A wise man knows when to stay silent. However, a wiser man of faith knows that sometimes words can win the battle when all odds stand against you. - Shannon L. Alder
She who is silent consents. - French Proverb
The law is silent during war. - Cicero
Silence is the mother of truth. - Benjamin Disraeli
Luxury is solitude and silence. - Paul-Henri Spaak
Your very silence shows you agree. - Euripides
Silence does not always mark wisdom. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Silence is more eloquent than words. - Thomas Carlyle
Silence is sometimes the best answer. - Dalai Lama
When money speaks, truth keeps silent. - Russian Proverb
Silence is the ultimate weapon of power. - Charles de Gaulle
I like my men like I like my coffee. Silent. - Anna Kendrick
God is silent. Now if only man would shut up. - Woody Allen
Silence is a place of great power and healing. - Rachel N Remen
Silence is argument carried out by other means. - Ernesto Che Guevara
A story is told as much by silence as by speech. - Susan Griffin
How do I learn to speak when silence is all I know? - Susie Clevenger
Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I'm walking backwards for Christmas Across the Irish Sea. - Spike Milligan
Tenderness is greater proof of love than the most passionate of vows. - Marlene Dietrich
To be born in India is to arrive into the world swimming in religion. - Ravi Zacharias
If everybody thought before they spoke, the silence would be deafening. - Gerald Barzan
Give me a couple of pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture. - Cecil B. DeMille
Church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members. - William Temple
He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words. - Elbert Hubbard
If I get married again, I want a guy there with a drum to do rim shots during the vows. - Sam Kinison
Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongue. - Old Testament
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal
Religion is like a map. The route isn't important. It's the destination that matters. - Marianne Williamson
If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet... maybe we could understand something. - Federico Fellini
Going to Church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile. - Billy Sunday
Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I am in, therein to be content. - Helen Keller
You must mind and not lower the Church in people's eyes by seeming to be frightened about it for such a little thing. - George Eliot
Some movie stars wear their sunglasses even in Church. They're afraid God might recognize them and ask for autographs. - Fred Allen
Remembering is a gift - a silent gift, because it roots us in reality while at the same time pointing us towards eternity. - Raphael Anzenberger
Did you read about Starbucks? No more "Merry Christmas" at Starbucks. No more. Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. - Donald Trump
I went to a Catholic boys' school for a year, but that was to play hockey. Religion class was quite contentious for me. - Keanu Reeves
Every sort of energy and endurance, of courage and capacity for handling life's evils, is set free in those who have religious faith. - William James
I you can make any leading religion of the world look like complete nonsense, you can be sure of only one thing: you haven't understood it. - Wilfred Cantwell Smith
A wise man knows when to stay silent. However, a wiser man of faith knows that sometimes words can win the battle when all odds stand against you. - Shannon L. Alder
see also Christmas & Religious Sections
Celebate or Celebrate?
Friar Thumper
Gambling Chips
Greek Monk
Monk On A Rope
Monk’s Fish And Chip Stand
Monk’s Story
Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah
Tiny Monks
Voices In My Head
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03-Aug-2021 |