Silence is as deep as eternity, speech a shallow as time.

Thomas Carlyle, the sage of Scotland, gave the world a saying heavy with mystery and power: “Silence is as deep as eternity, speech as shallow as time.” These words strike the heart like a chime in a vast cathedral, reminding us that what is unspoken often carries greater weight than what is spoken, and that stillness touches the eternal while words are bound by the fleeting moment.

The meaning begins with the nature of silence. Silence is the womb of thought, the space where truth arises before it is broken into fragments of language. To sit in silence is to touch something beyond measure—an ocean without shore, a night sky without end. This is why Carlyle likens it to eternity. For eternity, like silence, is infinite, unbound by beginning or end, and carries within it mysteries too vast for mortal speech.

By contrast, speech belongs to time. It lives in the moment, bound by the breath that carries it and by the ears that hear it. Words may instruct, persuade, or inspire, but they are tethered to time’s flow, vanishing as soon as they are spoken. This is not to deny their power, but to remember their limit. While silence endures, speech decays. Carlyle calls it shallow, not to condemn it, but to remind us that words are but ripples upon the surface of the infinite depths of silence.

History illustrates this truth. Consider the figure of the Buddha. After his enlightenment, it is said he sat in silence for days, radiant with understanding. His disciples urged him to speak, but in that silence lay the fullness of his wisdom. When he finally spoke, he did so sparingly, always pointing back to the stillness of meditation. His words, though powerful, were but signposts to the silence that contained eternity itself. Here we see Carlyle’s vision: speech may guide, but silence transforms.

Even in the realm of power and politics, silence has shown its might. Abraham Lincoln, in his debates and speeches, was renowned not only for his words but for his pauses. He knew the weight of silence, and he wielded it like a weapon, allowing stillness to give meaning to speech. His pauses gave his listeners space to feel the depth beyond his words, reminding them that silence itself can speak louder than a thousand arguments.

The lesson here is profound. In an age that worships constant noise, chatter, and endless explanation, Carlyle’s words call us back to reverence. To speak less and listen more. To trust that silence is not emptiness, but fullness. To understand that when words fail, silence may yet reveal what speech cannot hold. For in silence lies healing, reflection, and communion with eternity.

Therefore, let these words of Carlyle guide your steps: treasure silence as you would treasure eternity. Do not rush to fill every void with noise, nor every pause with chatter. Allow space for the eternal to whisper in the quiet. Use speech when necessary, but let it be born from silence, as rivers are born from hidden springs. In doing so, your words will carry greater weight, for they will not be shallow echoes of time, but reflections of the eternal depth from which they arose.