Native Wisdom-Oglala Sioux chief

Conversation was never begun at once, nor in a hurried manner.  No one was quick with a question, no matter how important, and no one was pressed for an answer.  A pause giving time for thought was the truly courteous way of beginning and conducting a conversation.  Silence was meaningful with the Lakota, and his granting a space of silence to the speech-maker and his own moment of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regard for the rule that, "thought comes before speech."
-Luther Standing Bear (1868-1939)
Oglala Sioux chief