Anton Chekhov > Quotes > Quote > Ashley liked it

“As a rule, however fine and deep a phrase may be, it only affects the indifferent, and cannot fully satisfy those who are happy or unhappy; that is why dumbness is most often the highest expression of happiness or unhappiness; lovers understand each other better when they are silent, and a fervent, passionate speech delivered by the grave only touches outsiders, while to the widow and children of the dead man it seems cold and trivial.”
― Anton Chekhov, The Essential Tales of Chekhov: Twenty Masterful Stories of Life, Beauty, and Emotional Perception