Quote Project

During one of her letters to Mrs. Joseph A. Sweetser in late January 1874, Emily Dickinson said, “Saying nothing, sometimes says the most.” She was talking about how death comes in silence and is not assaulting in its’ presence, but still takes away life. That is the reason I chose this quote. It says it is still possible to say something without speaking, but still get the point across.

Emily Dickinson was an American poet. In my opinion she wrote some of the most moving poetry of all time. She was born in Amherst, Massachusetts to a successful but not extremely wealthy family. After being schooled at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before retiring to her family's house, the Homestead. Throughout her life she was quite reclusive and was mostly found in her room. She became known for being eccentric and her white clothing. In her adult life she rarely traveled outside of Amherst or very far from home.

Dickinson was troubled from a young age by the "deepening menace" of death, especially the deaths of those who were close to her. When Sophia Holland, her second cousin and a close friend, grew ill from typhus and died in April 1844, Emily was traumatized. During her life Dickinson lost many of the people that were close to her. This affected her greatly, so much so that most of her poems dealt with themes of death and immortality, two subjects which infused her letters to friends.

Emily was never married and had only a few intimate relationships that were made known to the public. She never had any children, but was very close to the many friends she conversed with in letters. Although she continued to write in her last years, Dickinson stopped editing and organizing her poems. Emily Dickinson died at the age of 55, on May 15, 1886, but her poems still live on today.

Many people may wonder how if you say nothing, you can say the most. Although to me the point is quite obvious. The deepest feelings don’t require words. For example, when you say I love you it really doesn’t mean that much, but your actions describe your true feelings. A hug or a kiss can say much more, than just simple words alone. That is why this quote means a lot to me. The song “When you say nothing at all” by Keith Whitley and also by Allison Krauss matches the point of the quote perfectly. The song says, “The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. A touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall. You say it best when you say nothing at all”. I think people could exist perfectly fine without speech. Actually the world might be a better place, at least you wouldn’t have to worry about people lying or talking about you behind your back.

In my opinion facial expressions can say the same things as words. They can show emotions like happiness, sadness, or even anger. They can even show love. If you truly mean something you don’t need words to say it. People can just tell if the emotion is that strong. Sometimes saying nothing can be better than saying anything. When someone is mad at you and you are in an argument, anything you say could make the person madder, so the best choice would be to say nothing at all. I do agree that sometimes saying nothing is the wrong choice too, but that’s only on certain occasions. I prefer saying nothing than talking all the time. I will say that sometimes silence can be awkward, but so can a conversation. Emily Dickinson wasn’t a very outgoing person maybe that was why she preferred silence, but for whatever reason I agree. In closing, remember that saying nothing can sometimes say more than a thousand spoken words.

"Saying Nothing, Sometimes Says the Most"