Silence is the sea, speech is like a river. The sea is seeking you; do not seek the river.
خامشی بحرست و گفتن همچو جو
بحر میجوید ترا جو را مجوHâmuşî bahr est u güften hem-çü cû
Bahr mî-cûyed turâ cû râ mecû
Rumi, Masnavi IV (couplet 2060 in the Ganjoor sequence).
Silence is the sea.
Speech is like a river.
The river flows to arrive somewhere.
The sea is already there.
Rumi says the sea is seeking you.
You are still chasing the river.
The person who runs to keep up with answers
stays on the shore.
Sometimes the rightest thing to do
is to close your mouth
and wait for the water to rise.