As a writer, I do a lot of quiet observing. There’s a gentleman I call Tupperware Man who works at the local grocery in my town. He may end up as a future character in a story I write. He’s probably in his 50s. He brings his own Tupperware container to the high school basketball games. He buys food at the concession stand, but then he puts it in his Tupperware container and heads back to the stands where he eats his meal and watches the game. I noticed him about five years ago and I always check to see if he has his container when I see him at the games. He always does. You can’t make these types of observations if you’re always talking. Here are some thought-provoking quotes about quiet.

• Quiet people notice everything.
• Speak only if it improves the silence.
• The quieter you become, the more you can hear.
• Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.
• Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.
• Everything in your head doesn’t need to be said.
• Just because I am quiet does not mean I am not a force to be reckoned with.