The phrase "Silence is golden" is actually only half of an old proverb:
Silence is golden, eloquence is silver.
At the time that this
proverb was in popular use,
silver was more valuable than
gold in some parts of the world, including
Europe. This phrase was quite also popular in
Japan, where there is great value placed on communication without
meaningless chatter. It was the duty of the individual to ensure that what they said was to the point, and accurately reflected their
opinions and
beliefs.
I much prefer the older phrase, where there is an implication of a
social responsibility to discuss, debate, and learn, instead of urging inquisitive children to just
keep quiet.