When the clerk calls for silence, I allow myself to get centered. I take a breath. Then I'm able to focus. What's the real issue? What's the real conflict? Am I upset about something? Is there a defect in reasoning somewhere? ... It allows me to wait, maybe even for someone else who may feel a little more clear to speak which is often the most shocking and interesting to me...It's like Wow, we're making progress. It's an exercise in togetherness.
~ Rob Lippencott, quoted in GOLDEN: THE POWER OF SILENCE IN A WORLD OF NOISE