# Is “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise” in the Bible?

> Yes. “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise” is in the Bible, at Proverbs 17:28.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/even-a-fool-who-keeps-silent-is-considered-wise
By Andrew Kittridge · November 11, 2026

It is one of the proverbs of Solomon.

## The verse

> Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; whoever shuts his lips is thought discerning.
>
> — [Proverbs 17:28](https://www.lumin.faith/read/proverbs/17#28) (Lumin Translation)

These exact words are in the Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible.

## What it means there

It is a dry joke about how little it takes to look wise: stop talking. Proverbs often praises few words (Proverbs 10:19). “Better to stay silent and be thought a fool” is a later saying, not Scripture.

## Common questions

### Is “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise” in the Bible?

Yes. “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise” is in the Bible, at Proverbs 17:28. These exact words are in the Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible. It is one of the proverbs of Solomon.

### Where in the Bible is “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise”?

In Proverbs 17:28. In the Lumin Translation, Proverbs 17:28 reads: “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; whoever shuts his lips is thought discerning.”

### Who said “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise”?

It is one of the proverbs of Solomon.

### What does “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise” mean in the Bible?

It is a dry joke about how little it takes to look wise: stop talking. Proverbs often praises few words (Proverbs 10:19). “Better to stay silent and be thought a fool” is a later saying, not Scripture.

## More

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