proverb · Words worth keeping
There is a time to speak and a time to be silent.
There is a time to speak and a time to be silent.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying gives both speech and silence their own time. It presents responding well as a matter of fitting the action to the occasion.
What the words are saying
The balanced wording avoids making either response best everywhere. A useful application asks whether a situation needs information, listening or a pause. The phrase itself does not decide the timing, and it should not be used to silence a necessary question or objection.
Everyday example
Someone listens during an explanation, then raises a question when it helps clarify the next step.
When to use it
Use it to consider what the current exchange needs.
What it does not mean
The saying does not determine when another person must be silent.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 112; PDF page 20
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.