5 Oh that you would keep silent,
    and it would be your wisdom! (Job 13:5 ESV)

Better to be silent and thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt. This quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln and is probably one of my favorite. Sometimes, actually quite often, silence is the best course of action. Remaining silent to formulate our thoughts or simply to provide the speaker time to finish theirs can be a very useful trait.

I used to have a project manager who had weaponized silence. She was able to get answers where no one else could by asking a question and waiting for a full and appropriate responses from others.

Humans desire to be heard. We need to realize that we do not need to sprinkle our own thoughts or opinions into every conversation. Often we should consider silence as a form of wisdom. Wouldn’t a well thought out response later on be more useful than a half-baked idea right now?

Silence is truly golden. I have watched many situations work themselves out without any need for my input. This gave others a chance to remedy the situation without my intervention and proved that they had the answers they sought to begin with. Learning happened through this silence and resilience increased.

Consider today where silence may be more useful than your words.