Meaning
This proverb suggests that if you do not hear any news about a situation, it is likely that everything is going well. Often, bad news is communicated immediately, while silence usually indicates the absence of problems. It teaches patience and reduces unnecessary worry when there is no cause for alarm.
Understanding the Idea
Lack of information about a situation often implies stability; unnecessary worry can be avoided by interpreting silence positively.
A Beautiful and Relatable Moral Story
In a serene coastal town, lived an elderly woman named Elena, who had a son, Marco, working as a fisherman on distant seas. Every month, Marco would send a letter home, sharing tales of his adventures, the catch of the day, and his safe returns to port. But one season, the letters stopped coming. Days turned into weeks, and Elena grew anxious. She paced her small cottage, gazing at the horizon, imagining the worst—storms, shipwrecks, or illness. Her neighbors tried to comfort her, saying, “No news is good news, Elena. If something were wrong, you’d have heard by now.”
Elena couldn’t shake her worry. She visited the post office daily, asking if any mail had arrived, and spent nights praying for Marco’s safety. The town was abuzz with her concern; some even offered to send inquiries to nearby ports. But as the weeks passed without any dire reports from the seas—no tales of lost ships or tragedies in the newspapers—Elena’s friends reminded her of the old proverb. “The sea is vast, and letters can be delayed by calm winds or busy hands,” they said. “Silence often means peace, not peril.”
One sunny morning, as Elena sat by her window sipping tea, she heard familiar footsteps on the path. Marco burst through the door, arms laden with gifts from his travels—fresh spices, colorful shells, and stories of bountiful catches. “Mother, I’m sorry for the delay,” he explained. “The seas were so calm and the fishing so good that we extended our voyage. I wrote letters, but the mail ship was late. Everything was fine—better than fine!”
Elena hugged her son tightly, tears of relief streaming down her face. She realized that her endless worrying had robbed her of peaceful days, while the absence of news had indeed meant that all was well. From that day on, Elena shared the proverb with others in the town, teaching them to find comfort in quiet times.
Moral: Don’t panic over silence; often, no news is a sign that things are going well.
