Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Cuando el sabio calla, el necio no tiene réplica.»
Word for word
When the wise man is silent, the fool has no reply.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: When the wise stay silent, fools have no reply.
Used to praise the power of strategic silence over pointless arguing. It suggests that not engaging with foolishness is wiser than trying to win an argument.
Hear it in a sentence
Cuando el sabio calla, el necio no tiene réplica; a veces el silencio es la mejor respuesta.
When the wise stay silent, fools have no reply; sometimes silence is the best answer.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your exact level.