Artist Refuses to Speak for 29 Years

An aspiring German painter refused to speak for 29 years until his father's death because of paternal opposition to his chosen career.

Last year his father died, after which Herpel gradually began talking again. The public response was remarkable.

"Before people walked around with angry faces when they saw me. Now that I'm talking again, they're really happy," he said.

This little tidbit of news further confirms a theory I have: the weight of a person's words is measured in light of the totality of what he says. Let me ‘splain. If a man has $1,000,000, one single dollar is not that significant. Conversely, if a man only has $40, one single dollar is worth a lot more to that man.

My idea is this: my words are more valuable the more I keep my mouth shut. This is why you'll most likely find me not saying too much when I'm around people. It's not that I don't have anything to say, I just choose my words carefully (most of the time).