There is an English saying that "Speech is silver. Silence is golden". This saying started in one form and gradually changed into the more common forms.

A shortened form is that "Silence is golden".

Similar sayings in English are:

• Still waters run deep.
• Empty vessels make the most sound.

Some might prefer "Duct tape is silver".

If a tree falls in a forest, and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?

George Berkeley (Irish philosopher) asked this question as "Can something exist without being perceived by consciousness?" as in "Is sound only sound if a person hears it?".

Discuss: If someone commits a "crime", but there is no law against it, is it a "crime"?

Discuss: If a programmer makes a "mistake", creating a software fault, is it a failure in the software?