Speech is silver, Silence is golden
Like other boons, speech is also a precious gift of god to man. They are fortunate who have been bestowed with this noble gift but they are the most fortunate who use it like a jewel. As jewel is not used the very time to speech is not used all the time. Like ornaments, the wise use their speech on occasions.
If people prattle every time and try to impress others with their speech every now and then they will lose their entity and respect. Hence speech is valuable but it also breeds degeneration if it is not properly used. Silence is the safest way for the wise and also for the fool. That is why silence is on the whole rated higher than speech.
For the wise, silence is an ornament which increases the beauty of his speech and the importance of his words. Whatever he says, he speaks very briefly and to the paint. The escapes prattling and beating about the bush. People pay attention to him because they know that after sometimes he will observe silence. We come across a number of people who all the time gossip and prattle and these become a bore.
People of this type lose the power of their speech. For then silence is the best way. For the fool and the mediocre, silence is a great soon. It covers their follies and keeps them safe. When they avoid unnecessary speech, their weakness remains in the shadow and other people fail to discover their frailties.
Excess to everything is bad. Excessive speaking makes the man respect less and undue silence also brings loss. Pertinent speech brings the highest benefit such as Antonio finding the occasion at the murder of ceaser. Whatever it may be, silence reigns supreme in most cases.
It is good for the fool and for the wise too. Many a weakness is covered by silence. Due to silence Kalidas, the greatest fool of his time won the wisest wife everyone. Thus we can say that silence is golden while speech is silver.
Related Information:
- Plot construction of 'She Stoops to Conquer'
- English Comedy before Goldsmith
- Sentimental Comedy: Reaction of Goldsmith against it
- Character and role of Miss Neville
- Discuss She Stoops to Conquer as a Sentimental Comedy
- Discuss Goldsmith's View of Sentimental Comedy
- Give an estimate of Goldsmith as a dramatist
- Contribution of Goldsmith as a Dramatist
- Oliver Goldsmith: Social and Political setting
- Life and works of Oliver Goldsmith
