This article is part of Finding the Words, a newsletter that delivers practical insights on the day’s issues.

There’s an illustrated children’s book I love called Quiet. It was written in 2018 by legendary author-illustrator Tomie DePaola, just a few years before his passing. DePaola wrote some of my favorite children’s books, but this one is decidedly different. Each time I pick it up, I’m reminded of how important its message is today—a message for children as much as for adults.

In the story, a grandfather walks with his two grandchildren, pointing out the busyness in nature around them and gently encouraging the children to find comfort in their own quiet moments.

“The birds are flying so fast, the dragonfly is zooming over the water—even the trees are waving their leaves.
Busy as busy can be.
So what if we sit here, you next to me … and we can just be?”

Ironically, I’ve called this weekly column Finding the Words.
But sometimes there are no words to be found.

After a difficult day or a long, late night, the best words may be none at all. Sometimes what we’re processing and experiencing is so weighty that there is nothing we can say better than the quiet.

"I can think, when I'm quiet."
"I can see, when I'm still."

Perhaps you're like me, and you tell yourself that stillness feels indulgent.
The work is too urgent. The stakes are too high. The inbox is too full.

And yet...

Mindfulness—being quiet, still, and present with one another—is a form of leadership in action, too. And as I’ve learned many times in recent years, that mindfulness—at its best, peacefulness—can also be a luxury, for the millions of people who at any given moment don’t have the ability to control the noise: in our own heads, in the streets of a beloved city, in the halls of a hospital.

The sounds of life can be the most beautiful and the most overwhelming.
So sitting in the quiet can sometimes be just what we need most.

To think. To see. To learn.

When you find yourself in a moment like this, unable to find the words, try instead to sit in the silence.
Let it guide you.

The words will find you when it’s time.

This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

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No Words.

There’s an illustrated children’s book I love called Quiet. It was written in 2018 by legendary author-illustrator Tomie DePaola, just a few years before his passing. DePaola wrote some of my favorite children’s books, but this one is decidedly different. Each time I pick it up, I’m reminded of how important its message is today—a message for children as much as for adults.

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What Can I Say?

The truth is, when news breaks, leaders are often left balancing urgency, responsibility, and uncertainty—all while knowing their words (or silence) will be interpreted. This framework isn’t about saying the ‘right’ thing. It’s about making intentional choices in moments that don’t allow for easy ones. In today’s Finding the Words, I’ll offer a brief breakdown of those considerations and invite you to explore the full resource, linked at the bottom of this post.

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