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About this quote

What does it mean?
Two people share a silent moment where their painful thoughts connect deeply.
In plain terms
They looked at each other and felt the same sadness without speaking.
What can you take from it?
Silence can communicate shared pain better than words.

Where it applies

  • grief
  • relationship conflict
  • intimate moments

Putting it to work

  • communicating empathy
  • writing scenes
  • processing grief

Questions to consider

  • What do you feel in silence?
  • When did silence speak to you?

Another view

Silence can also create distance if not understood.

More from Gustave Flaubert

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  3. What exasperated her was Charles's total unawareness of her ordeal. His conviction that he was making her happy she took as a stupid insult: such self-righteou…

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