Peter Handke Quotes

Silence is not only golden, it is seldom misquoted.

Everyone knows how to talk, and no one knows what to say.

It's a difficult competition against silence, because silence is a perfect language, the only language which says with no words.

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.

Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better, Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time.

Speech is the small change of silence.

Much speech is one thing, well-timed speech is another.

The only thing you have to know are your words.

You say it best, when you say nothing at all.

I have nothing to say, I am saying it, and that is poetry.

No matter where we live, we have to use words. Once you've been looking into words, their stories, it's easy to fall in love with them.

Silence may be as variously shaded as speech.

It's funny because I've made a living off of words, but words get in the way of what you really want to say.

For language to have meaning, there must be intervals of silence somewhere, to divide word from word and utterance from utterance. He who retires into silence does not necessarily hate language. Perhaps it is love and respect for language which imposes silence upon him. For the mercy of God is not heard in words unless it is heard, both before and after the words are spoken, in silence.

Our desire to say more grows bigger and what to say about it, except that saying is not always about saying, growing is not always about growing.

In the end, it is my belief, words are the only things that can construct a world that makes sense.

Words are the wings of actions.

The words that are coming out of my mouth and how I mean them, it's so much different.

It is not that the meaning cannot be explained. But there are certain meanings that are lost forever the moment they are explained in words.

True silence is really endless speech.

Why must one talk? Often one shouldn't talk, but live in silence. The more one talks, the less the words mean. (Nana Kleinfrankenheim, Vivre Sa Vie)

The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories.

Yes, time can be buoyed by wordlessness, but it needs to be anchored in words.

Words are the part of silence that can be spoken.

She had always wanted words, she loved them; grew up on them. Words gave her clarity, brought reason, shape.