Speech is not silver and silence is not gold. Gold is instead the right amount of speech and silence. This is how Martin Kampchen over turns a popular saying and probes into the meaning of speechand silence beyond cliched thinking. In curt, pointed literary texts the author describes everyday activities-waking, breathing,greeting, offering praise, remembering, sleeping or listening. He breaks open the thoughtless routine with which we normally carry them out, trying to discover their authentic value. Drawing from the wisdom of Indian and Christian contemplative thought, Kampchen however firmly relates his texts to our 21st century search for a simple, truthful life-style.