“…silence is the preferred sound of the soul. The noise of the mind is the chatter of distraction. Such a description is frustrating to the modern mind, for we want to observe, weigh, measure and compare. We even doubt that there is such a thing as a soul, or whether it is just a name being given to something else, some other aspect of the brain. What we want of the soul is self-awareness – we require a selfie of the soul – the ultimate reassurance of the modern world.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“We simply cannot live our whole lives in full view of others—in the crowd. Our lives are not a peep show. Without the discipline of silence and solitude, we play to the crowds, always performing yet never being quite sure of ourselves.” (Marlena Graves)
“Silence greatly helps in spiritual life. It is good for one to practice silence for about an hour a day: to test himself, to acknowledge his passions and to fight in order to cut them off and purify his heart. It is very good if there is a quiet room in the house which gives him the feeling of a monastic cell. There, “in secret,” he is able to do his spiritual maintenance, to study, and to pray. A little spiritual study done before prayer helps greatly. The soul warms up and the mind is transported to the spiritual realm. That’s why, when a person has many distractions during the day, he should rejoice if he has ten minutes for prayer, or even two minutes to read something, so as to drive away distractions.” (St. Paisios the Athonite)
"When we start each day by sitting down with our morning coffee or tea to spend some brief quiet time with the Lord, God's grace will lead us into greater divine union." (Robert J. Wicks)
“It is possible…to have quietness in the busiest of cities surrounded by people, and yet have no inner silence when inner voices are raging even in the emptiness of the desert. The true silence we seek in prayer is the inner peace that calms us spiritually. Only then can we hear the “still, small voice” of God." (Father Spyridon Baily)
“… the highest form of prayer… praying without the words, when one is so filled with the Holy Spirit that human words become inadequate…” (Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 8:26)
“The highest form of art is prayer...The highest form of prayer is to stand silently in awe before God… " (Jonathan Jackson, St. Isaac the Syrian)
“The highest blessedness of prayer will be our ceasing to pray, to let God speak.” (Andrew Murray)
“...there is no greater energy than that of prayer. Prayer is God’s energy—that’s what it is. Above all, however, we need something else: We need to listen to the voice of God—in silence." (Abbess Gavrielia of Aegina)
“...we often overlook the great spiritual practice of entering into silence as a way to discover ourselves and deepen our experience with God’s presence…Silence is the means by which we may access and deepen our relationship with God as well as develop self-knowledge…Silence allows for that moment when we can begin to listen for the voice of God.” (Abbot Tryphon)