Silence is one of the great arts of conversation, as allowed by Cicero himself, who says, 'there is not only an art, but an eloquence in it.' A well bred woman may easily and effectually promote the most useful and elegant conversation without speaking a word. The modes of speech are scarcely more variable than the modes of silence. —W. Somerset Maugham More about this quote Tags: silence conversation talking elegance Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email