'If you love truth, be a lover of silence.
In the beginning we have to force ourselves to be silent;
but then something is born that draws us to silence.
May God give you experience of this "something" that is born of silence.' St. Isaac of Niniveh, Syrian mystic 670 AD

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Silence has now become both a physical and a spiritual necessity for me.
Originally, it was taken to relieve the sense of pressure. Then I wanted time for writing. But after I had practised silence for some time, I saw the spiritual value of it. It suddenly flashed across my mind that this was the time when I could best hold communion with God And now I feel as though I was naturally built for silence . . .
I have sought silence for communion even during my noisiest time. I have had recourse to sea voyages for the purpose, though, of course, the radio has now robbed even a sea voyage of the privilege of silence one used to enjoy on the boat.
But silent prayer is not a monologue. God speaks to us only when we are silently ready to listen to him . . .
Believe me. When we rid our mind of all conscious thought, when we allow it to be flooded with the spirit of the invisible God, it brings us unspeakable rest and peace. It unites our deepest self with the Eternal . . .

Mahatma Gandhi (India 1869-1948)