Speech is often barren; but silence also does not necessarily brood over a full nest. Your still fowl, blinking at you without remark, may all the while be sitting on one addled egg...

Summary

This quote highlights the limitations of both speech and silence. It suggests that while speech can sometimes lack substance and meaning, silence is not always indicative of deep contemplation or wisdom. The metaphor of a still fowl sitting on an addled egg illustrates the idea that silence doesn't always signify deep insights or profound thoughts, but can instead mask a lack of substance or fertility. Therefore, the quote implies that we should be cautious in assuming that silence alone carries significance and that meaningful conversations require more than mere words.

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