Abba Poeman said…

A man may seem to be silent, but if his heart is condemning others he is babbling ceaselessly. But there may be another who talks from morning till night and yet he is truly silent; that is, he says nothing that is not profitable. (p. 171)

If you are silent, you will have peace wherever you live. (p. 178)

A brother who lived with some other brothers asked Abba Bessarion, ‘What ought I to do?’ The old man said to him, ‘Keep silence and do not always be comparing yourself with others.’ (p. 178)

– The Sayings of the Desert Fathers