"A beautiful silence was never written" the saying goes. Real treaties on this subject were written between 1600 and 1700, including that of this Parisian author who strives to recommend a careful and economical use of the word, as heis aware of the importance of individual self-control for the flowering ofcivilisation and the perpetuation of power. Virtue teaches this: never let goto risky or impulsive statements, that could destabilize the present. Yet the art of silence is very complicated, because it is difficult to figure out which things to keep quiet and which ones to say. Overall, there is a generalprinciple: "It's good to talk only when you have to say something that isworth more than silence". To us, children and victims of verbal abundance,this quote should mean not to fill the - few - breaks with unnecessary words, to learn to be with ourselves and our silence, giving us a chance to be a moment before saying it.

Abate Dinouart: "The art of silence" (L'art de se taire)
Sellerio editore Palermo