“Not one person in a hundred knows how to be silent and listen, no, nor even to conceive what such a thing means. Yet only then can you detect, beyond the fatuous clamour, the silence of which the universe is made.”
In this quote by Samuel Beckett, he emphasizes the importance of silence and listening in a world filled with noise and distractions. Beckett suggests that many people are unable to truly grasp the significance of being silent and listening, as it is only in these moments that one can truly understand the underlying silence that permeates the universe. This silence, hidden beneath the surface of daily chatter and noise, holds immense significance and depth. Beckett challenges readers to quiet their minds and embrace the silence in order to gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.
In today's fast-paced and noisy world, the ability to be silent and truly listen has become even more crucial. Samuel Beckett's quote highlights the importance of tuning out the distractions and noise around us in order to truly connect with others and with ourselves. In a society where constant stimulation and noise are the norm, finding moments of silence can lead to deeper understanding and connection with the world around us.
Samuel Beckett emphasizes the importance of silence and listening in truly perceiving the world around us. He points out that these qualities are often overlooked in our noisy and chaotic world. In order to truly understand the universe, one must be able to be silent and listen intently.
In our noisy and fast-paced world, the art of being silent and truly listening often gets overlooked. Reflecting on Samuel Beckett's words, consider the following questions:
When was the last time you truly listened to someone without any distractions or interruptions?
How do you feel when you are in a situation where no one is speaking and there is a natural silence?
What do you think Beckett means by "the silence of which the universe is made"? How does this idea resonate with you?
How can you incorporate more moments of silence and listening into your daily life to better connect with others and the world around you?
Have you ever experienced a moment of profound understanding or insight while being silent and listening?
“And while the body is confined to one planet, along which it creeps with pain and difficulty; the thought can in an instant transport us into the most distant regions of the universe; or even beyond the universe, into the unbounded chaos, where nature is supposed to lie in total confusion. What never was seen, or heard or, may yet be conceived; not is any thing beyond the power of thought, except what implies as absolute contradiction.”
“The only kind of universe that I can even begin to conceive is an inconceivable one.”
“What is talkativeness? It is the result of doing away with the vital distinction between talking and keeping silent. Only some one who knows how to remain essentially silent can really talk--and act essentially. Silence is the essence of inwardness, of the inner life. Mere gossip anticipates real talk, and to express what is still in thought weakens action by forestalling it. But some one who can really talk, because he knows how to remain silent, will not talk about a variety of things but about one thing only, and he will know when to talk and when to remain silent. Where mere scope is concerned, talkativeness wins the day, it jabbers on incessantly about everything and nothing...In a passionate age great events (for they correspond to each other) give people something to talk about. And when the event is over, and silence follows, there is still something to remember and to think about while one remains silent. But talkativeness is afraid of the silence which reveals its emptiness.”
“Let him tell them the truth. Before the Gospel is a word, it is silence. It is the silence of their own lives and of his life. It is life with the sound turned off so that for a moment or two you can experience it not in terms of the words you make it bearable by but for the unutterable mystery that it is. Let him say, "Be silent and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Be silent and know that even by my silence and absence I am known. Be silent and listen to the stones cry out.Out of the silence let the only real news comes, which is sad news before it is glad news and that is fairy tale last of all.”
“For, though the room was silent, the silence of half a hundred cats is a peculiar thing, like fifty individual silences all piled one on top of another.”