“Keeping Quiet” by Pablo Neruda isn’t just a poem—it’s a powerful pause. In a world where everyone seems to be in a rush, where students feel the weight of expectations, and silence is often mistaken for weakness, this poem becomes a quiet revolution.

Neruda gently asks us to stop—just for a moment—not to give up, but to understand. To understand ourselves. To understand others. And to remember that in stillness, we often find the loudest truths. The poem invites us to imagine a world where, for once, there’s no noise, no conflict, no hurry—just peace, reflection, and connection. Even the idea feels healing.

At DAsKLiBrO, we know that school life can be overwhelming and that poetry sometimes feels too abstract. That’s why this page breaks it all down for you:

• 🌿 Line-by-line explanations that make sense and connect with real life
  
  

• 📝 Complete NCERT Solutions to help you score well with clarity
  
  

• 💭 Themes of peace, unity, and inner awareness explained in a way that stays with you beyond the exam
  
  

This poem is a gentle reminder: sometimes doing nothing is the most powerful thing we can do. Let’s slow down together—and truly listen.

EXTRA QUESTIONS 

 1. What is the central idea of the poem “Keeping Quiet”?

📝20 words:

The poem promotes peace and reflection. The poet asks us to pause, stay silent, and connect with ourselves and others.

📝40 words:

Pablo Neruda’s poem emphasizes the value of silence and self-reflection. He suggests that by pausing all activity for a moment, we can understand ourselves better, reduce violence, and bring peace to the world. Stillness brings clarity and harmony.

📝60 words:

The central idea of “Keeping Quiet” is that silence can lead to peace and understanding. The poet encourages people to stop their routine activities and reflect on life. He believes that silence can help reduce conflict, promote unity, and connect us to nature and each other. It is a call for global introspection, mutual respect, and inner awakening through a moment of stillness.

📝80 words:

The poem “Keeping Quiet” focuses on the importance of self-reflection and stillness in human life. The poet urges everyone to stop speaking and moving for a moment, so that we can realize the harm we cause through our actions. He believes this short pause will create awareness, peace, and unity. By using silence as a tool, the poet encourages people to stop fighting, understand themselves, and appreciate life. It’s a deep message about changing the world through calmness and thoughtfulness.

 2. Why does the poet ask us to keep quiet and still?

📝20 words:

He wants us to reflect on our actions, reduce violence, and understand each other better through silence and stillness.

📝40 words:

The poet suggests silence and stillness to break our routine lives filled with noise and chaos. He believes that a quiet moment will help people think clearly, develop understanding, and stop harmful activities. It’s a way to bring peace.

📝60 words:

The poet asks us to keep quiet and still so that we can pause our usual activities and reflect deeply. In silence, we can connect with ourselves and others, understand the harm we’re causing, and stop being destructive. It’s a peaceful moment where we let go of ego, competition, and violence. The poet sees this as a step towards global unity and healing.

📝80 words:

Neruda requests silence and stillness because he sees them as tools to bring peace and reflection. In today’s world, people are always busy — working, fighting, competing — without understanding their own emotions or the damage they cause to others and the planet. By asking for just one moment of stillness, the poet hopes people will become more mindful, kinder, and peaceful. This pause can heal us emotionally and spiritually, helping us live more meaningful and compassionate lives.

 3. How can silence help bring peace, according to the poet?

📝20 words:

Silence stops conflict and gives time to think. It helps us connect with ourselves and others peacefully and kindly.

📝40 words:

The poet believes silence allows people to pause, reflect, and stop violent or harmful actions. In that quiet moment, we can realize the value of peace and develop compassion for others. It encourages unity and reduces hatred.

📝60 words:

According to Neruda, silence helps people take a break from their fast, noisy lives. In this moment of stillness, we can think clearly and understand how our actions affect others. When there is no noise or movement, there is also no conflict. It’s a powerful way to promote inner calm, empathy, and world peace. Silence lets humanity reflect and heal.

📝80 words:

Silence, according to Pablo Neruda, is not emptiness but a moment of truth and peace. When we stop talking and moving for a while, we become more aware of our thoughts, actions, and their impact on others. This pause helps people realize the importance of love, unity, and coexistence. Without the distractions of noise and motion, anger and aggression also disappear. Silence allows space for empathy, self-awareness, and healing. It builds a foundation for peace both inside us and across the world.

4. Why does the poet mention fishermen not harming whales?

📝20 words:

The poet wants all harmful actions to stop. Fishermen harming whales represents violence against nature that should be avoided.

📝40 words:

The poet uses the image of fishermen hurting whales to show how humans destroy nature without thinking. He wants even these harmful actions to pause. It’s a symbol of stopping cruelty and respecting life — not just among humans, but in nature too.

📝60 words:

The poet mentions fishermen harming whales as a symbol of human violence against nature. This line asks us to pause such harmful activities, even for a moment. He believes that silence can help us realize the pain we cause animals and the environment. This pause isn’t just for humans to reflect, but also a chance to give peace and rest to other living beings.

📝80 words:

In “Keeping Quiet,” the poet refers to fishermen hurting whales to show how human actions harm nature. This image represents all kinds of cruelty we cause to innocent beings for our own benefit. By asking for a moment of silence, the poet hopes that even these violent actions will stop. It’s his way of asking humans to think before acting and to treat all life — not just human — with respect and kindness. Nature deserves our silence too.

5. Why does the poet mention wars in the poem?

📝20 words:

The poet mentions wars to show their destruction and how silence can stop killing and promote peace among nations.

📝40 words:

Neruda talks about wars to highlight how deeply violence affects humanity. Soldiers die, families suffer, and nature is destroyed. He wants people to pause and reflect through silence so they stop fighting and instead choose understanding and harmony.

📝60 words:

The mention of wars is meant to show how far humans have strayed from peace. In wars, people kill strangers and destroy lives. Neruda suggests that a moment of silence could stop such aggression. When people stay still and quiet, they may realize the pain they’re causing. He believes reflection is the first step to ending violence and choosing peace.

📝80 words:

The poet brings up wars to highlight their terrible impact — soldiers killing others, civilians dying, and nature getting ruined. He wants readers to feel how senseless and painful these conflicts are. By suggesting a moment of silence, he believes people would stop and think about their actions. In that quiet, they might feel compassion and realize the value of peace over war. It’s a powerful plea to replace violence with stillness and understanding, showing silence as a way to stop killing.

 6. What does the poet mean by “exotic moment”?

📝20 words:

The “exotic moment” is the magical silence when everyone stops, reflects, and feels deeply connected with nature and humanity.

📝40 words:

The “exotic moment” is a rare and special pause when the whole world becomes quiet. It brings peace, calmness, and connection. In that moment, people experience unity, self-awareness, and understanding, free from distractions and conflicts.

📝60 words:

By “exotic moment,” Neruda means a rare and beautiful experience — when all people on Earth stop talking and moving. In this silence, there’s peace and awareness. People will feel calm and understand one another without words. The moment is “exotic” because it’s unusual, healing, and unlike anything we experience in our busy lives. It reflects unity and human understanding.

📝80 words:

The poet describes an “exotic moment” as a special time of absolute peace when everyone in the world pauses. In that deep silence, there is no rush, no violence, and no conflict. People will feel a sudden, magical connection with themselves and others. This moment is called “exotic” because it’s rare and unusual — a break from our fast-paced, noisy world. It brings calm, togetherness, and clarity, allowing people to reflect and feel emotions that they often ignore in their busy routines.

7. Why does the poet not want “any truck with death”?

📝20 words:

The poet rejects death. He supports peaceful stillness, not lifelessness. He wants awareness, not the end of existence.

📝40 words:

The poet clearly says he doesn’t support inactivity that leads to death. He values life and only wants a pause — a break to reflect. His aim is peace, not lifelessness. He believes life becomes meaningful through stillness and understanding.

📝60 words:

When Neruda says, “I want no truck with death,” he means he doesn’t support complete silence that brings death. He values life and wants people to live with awareness. His message is about taking a pause — not stopping forever. He believes that reflection, not destruction, is the key to peace. Stillness should inspire action through understanding, not lifelessness.

📝80 words:

The poet’s line “I want no truck with death” makes his message clear — he does not want people to misunderstand silence as lifelessness. He is not promoting inactivity or giving up on life. Instead, he wants a moment of stillness so that people can reflect, grow, and find peace. He supports a deeper connection with life, not an escape from it. Silence, for him, is a way to renew our thoughts and energy, not end our existence.

8. What does the poem teach us about the environment?

📝20 words:

The poem teaches us to stop harming nature. It promotes silence and respect for the environment and all living beings.

📝40 words:

Neruda reminds us that human actions often harm nature. By being still, we can stop this destruction. Silence helps us realize that forests, oceans, and animals need peace too. It’s a call to treat Earth with love and care.

📝60 words:

The poet urges us to pause and see how our fast, selfish lifestyles hurt the environment. Whether it’s war, industry, or fishing, our actions damage nature. In silence, we can understand how connected we are to the Earth. It gives us a chance to stop destruction and learn to coexist peacefully with all forms of life on the planet.

📝80 words:

“Keeping Quiet” encourages us to stop and notice the harm we are doing to the environment. The poet talks about fishermen hurting whales and soldiers destroying nature. He suggests that a moment of silence can help us reflect and change our behavior. It’s a way to show kindness to the Earth. In that stillness, we remember that trees, animals, oceans, and the planet itself need peace too. The poem teaches environmental responsibility through reflection, awareness, and non-violence toward nature.

9. How is introspection important in the poem?

📝20 words:

Introspection helps us reflect on our lives. It brings peace, awareness, and understanding of our role in the world.

📝40 words:

The poet believes introspection — thinking quietly about ourselves — is the key to peace. In silence, we learn about our mistakes, actions, and emotions. This leads to kindness and helps us stop harming others and the environment.

📝60 words:

Neruda promotes introspection by asking for a moment of silence. He believes that we are so busy that we never think about who we are or what we’re doing. Through introspection, we can become aware of our behavior, stop hurting others, and live better. It helps us grow emotionally and spiritually. The poem encourages personal reflection as a path to peace.

📝80 words:

In “Keeping Quiet,” the poet emphasizes the need for introspection — quiet self-reflection — to understand ourselves and our actions better. In our fast-paced world, we rarely take time to think deeply. But the poet suggests that if we pause and look inward, we’ll discover our mistakes, realize our destructive habits, and find ways to live more peacefully. Introspection is the first step toward kindness, compassion, and meaningful change. It’s a tool that can transform both individuals and the world.

10. How does the poem reflect Pablo Neruda’s views on peace?

📝20 words:

Neruda sees peace as essential. He believes silence, reflection, and stillness are powerful tools to create a better world.

📝40 words:

The poem expresses Neruda’s belief that true peace comes from within. He doesn’t suggest weapons or power, but silence and thought. By being still, people stop hurting others, realize their mistakes, and live peacefully. This is his vision of harmony.

📝60 words:

Neruda’s poem is a strong message of peace. He believes wars, violence, and destruction are caused by people who never pause to think. He offers silence as a peaceful solution. When people keep quiet, they can reflect, understand others, and stop fighting. He promotes unity through stillness, not silence out of fear, but silence full of strength and self-awareness.

📝80 words:

Pablo Neruda’s poem “Keeping Quiet” is a poetic call for peace. He believes that wars, environmental damage, and emotional suffering come from constant activity without thought. Instead of violence, he offers a solution — silence. In stillness, people can understand one another, connect with nature, and make better choices. His idea of peace isn’t just the absence of war but the presence of awareness, reflection, and love. He shows that even a moment of quiet can heal and change the world.

 11. What message does the poet want to convey through “Keeping Quiet”?

📝20 words:

The poet wants to promote peace, silence, and reflection. He urges people to stop, think, and live with understanding.

📝40 words:

The poet’s message is to stop rushing and fighting, and instead reflect in silence. He wants people to be calm, avoid violence, and realize the need for inner peace, love, and unity. Silence brings thought, healing, and harmony.

📝60 words:

In “Keeping Quiet,” the poet Pablo Neruda encourages people to pause their busy lives and reflect on their actions. His message is to promote peace, silence, and unity. He believes that wars, destruction, and human suffering can be reduced if we understand each other and the world better. Silence and stillness can bring kindness, compassion, and emotional growth for humanity.

📝80 words:

The poet Pablo Neruda uses the poem “Keeping Quiet” to deliver a message of global peace and understanding. He urges people across all nations to stop for a moment, be silent, and reflect deeply on their actions. In this stillness, people can realize the futility of violence, overwork, and environmental destruction. Instead of competing or fighting, he wants us to live harmoniously. His message is simple yet powerful — silence and thought can transform the world into a more loving, united place.

 12. Why is the number twelve important in the poem?

📝20 words:

The poet uses twelve symbolically, like the twelve hours or twelve months, to suggest a short, complete pause in time.

📝40 words:

The number twelve symbolizes completeness and balance — like a clock or calendar. The poet uses it to suggest a meaningful pause. Counting to twelve is a simple act that prepares us to be still, quiet, and thoughtful for a moment.

📝60 words:

In “Keeping Quiet,” the poet uses the number twelve as a symbolic countdown to silence. Twelve is associated with time — twelve hours, twelve months — and represents a complete cycle. By counting up to twelve, the poet invites the whole world to pause together, in a shared moment of reflection and peace. It’s a call for unity and stillness beyond language or boundaries.

📝80 words:

The number twelve is used symbolically by Pablo Neruda to represent time, order, and universality — like twelve hours on a clock or twelve months in a year. It reflects something all humans recognize and share. By asking everyone to count to twelve and keep still, the poet suggests a complete but brief moment of worldwide unity, peace, and silence. It’s not about the number itself, but about creating a universal signal to stop, reflect, and connect with our inner selves and each other.

13. What does the poet say about people involved in green wars?

📝20 words:

He says they should stop destroying nature. Even environmental destruction needs to pause so the Earth can breathe and recover.

📝40 words:

“Green wars” refer to destruction done in the name of development or environment. The poet urges people to pause these actions, as they still harm nature. He wants peace not just among humans, but also with forests, rivers, and animals.

📝60 words:

The poet criticizes people involved in green wars, which are wars against the environment — like deforestation, pollution, and industrial exploitation. He says even these people should pause and reflect. In silence, they might realize how their actions harm the Earth. Neruda wants not just human peace, but also peace with nature, where even the trees and oceans can feel safe and calm.

📝80 words:

When the poet mentions “green wars,” he’s talking about the destruction of nature disguised as progress or development. This includes deforestation, mining, and other harmful human activities. He says these too must stop — even for a moment. In silence, people may realize the damage they cause and change. The poet’s vision of peace isn’t just about stopping human conflict, but also about healing the Earth. He believes that both people and nature deserve peace, respect, and protection.

 14. How does the poem promote universal brotherhood?

📝20 words:

The poem asks all people to pause together. This shared silence unites us and makes us feel equal and connected.

📝40 words:

Neruda believes silence connects people beyond nationality, language, or color. When everyone pauses, the world becomes one. There’s no conflict or competition, just understanding and peace. In that moment, people realize they’re not enemies, but part of one human family.

📝60 words:

“Keeping Quiet” promotes universal brotherhood by asking people from all over the world to pause at the same time. This shared silence connects humanity beyond borders. In that still moment, people forget their differences and understand each other. It builds feelings of love, respect, and unity. Neruda believes that silence is the bridge that can link people in harmony, removing conflict and ego.

📝80 words:

The poem promotes universal brotherhood by urging people to be silent and still together. This simple act creates a powerful connection among all humans. When everyone stops speaking and moving for a while, the barriers of language, race, or nation disappear. Silence becomes a shared experience, a time when everyone feels equal, peaceful, and united. The poet believes that through this collective pause, we can understand each other’s pain and humanity, creating a world built on brotherhood instead of conflict.

15. What will happen if we don’t take a pause in life?

📝20 words:

Without a pause, we’ll keep hurting each other, destroying nature, and living without understanding or peace in our lives.

📝40 words:

If we don’t pause, we’ll continue with our fast, violent, and careless lives. This leads to wars, destruction, and emotional emptiness. The poet warns that without reflection, humanity will stay lost and disconnected from nature and one another.

📝60 words:

If we never take a break from our busy lives, we’ll continue to make the same mistakes. We’ll keep fighting, harming the environment, and feeling emotionally lost. The poet suggests that without a pause, we’ll never understand our purpose or connect with others. Our actions will be thoughtless, and we’ll remain trapped in a cycle of destruction and unhappiness.

📝80 words:

The poet warns that if people never stop to reflect, their lives will stay filled with conflict, confusion, and destruction. Wars will continue, nature will suffer, and humans will feel emotionally empty. Without pausing, there’s no space for understanding, kindness, or peace. People will keep living like machines — working, fighting, consuming — without ever questioning their purpose. The poet pleads for a pause, a moment to reset, so that we can choose a better path filled with awareness and harmony.

 16. How does the poem connect silence with healing?

📝20 words:

Silence gives us a break from chaos. It helps us think, rest, and emotionally heal from stress and conflict.

📝40 words:

The poet believes silence can heal us mentally and emotionally. When we are quiet, we stop harming others, reflect deeply, and find peace. It allows us to understand our mistakes and become kinder, leading to personal and global healing.

📝60 words:

In “Keeping Quiet,” silence is shown as a powerful tool for healing. In moments of stillness, people can rest their minds, stop negative actions, and reflect on life. This peaceful pause helps reduce anger, stress, and violence. It promotes kindness, emotional strength, and inner peace. The poet believes that silence can repair the damage we’ve caused to ourselves and others.

📝80 words:

Pablo Neruda connects silence with healing by presenting it as a moment of deep peace and reflection. When we stop speaking and moving, our minds become calm. This pause allows us to understand our mistakes, let go of anger, and feel compassion. Silence also stops harmful actions like violence or environmental destruction. Through quietness, we not only rest physically but also repair emotional wounds. The poet believes silence can cleanse the world and offer a path toward personal and collective healing.

17. Why does the poet call life “what it is about”?

📝20 words:

The poet means life is precious and meaningful. He wants us to value life through awareness, not ignore it through noise.

📝40 words:

When the poet says “life is what it is about,” he emphasizes that his message supports life, not death. He values thoughtful living — filled with silence, peace, and kindness. The poem celebrates life through self-awareness and mindful actions.

📝60 words:

By saying “life is what it is about,” the poet shows that he values living with awareness, not lifelessness. His call for silence isn’t a rejection of life, but a way to live it better. He wants us to stop, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of being alive. It’s a message that honors life through understanding, not avoidance.

📝80 words:

When the poet says, “life is what it is about,” he clarifies that his goal isn’t death or complete inactivity. Instead, he wants us to live more meaningfully. He encourages people to pause and reflect so that they can understand themselves and others better. Silence is not to end life, but to improve it. Through thoughtful stillness, we can become more connected, aware, and loving. His message celebrates life and offers a peaceful way to live it with purpose and care.

18. Why does the poet suggest not speaking any language?

📝20 words:

He wants unity beyond languages. When we don’t speak, there’s no misunderstanding or division — only silent connection.

📝40 words:

The poet suggests not speaking any language to break all barriers. Language often divides people. In silence, everyone becomes equal. Without speech, we can feel closer, and our connection goes beyond words — based on emotion, not language.

📝60 words:

Language is often a tool for communication, but it also creates division, conflict, and misunderstanding. The poet suggests we stop speaking any language so that people from all backgrounds can connect equally. Silence becomes a universal language, understood by all. It encourages emotional connection and unity, beyond regional, cultural, or political boundaries.

📝80 words:

Pablo Neruda suggests not speaking any language so that all people — regardless of nationality, race, or culture — can connect through silence. He believes language, while useful, can also divide us and lead to arguments, pride, or misunderstanding. In silence, these barriers fall away. Everyone becomes part of the same peaceful moment. It’s a way to promote unity through quiet understanding and emotional closeness, where no words are needed to feel connected, respected, and understood by one another.

 19. What does the poem say about human self-destruction?

📝20 words:

The poet warns that humans destroy themselves through wars, overwork, and harming nature. Silence can stop this destruction.

📝40 words:

Neruda believes that humans, in their busy and violent lives, often cause their own downfall. They fight, pollute, and compete without thinking. A moment of silence can stop this cycle and give people a chance to correct themselves.

📝60 words:

The poet highlights how humans are moving towards self-destruction by constantly working, fighting, and damaging nature. We harm each other and our planet without even realizing it. Through silence and stillness, we can pause, think, and stop these harmful actions. The poem offers silence as a remedy to this self-inflicted damage, helping humanity survive and evolve in a healthier way.

📝80 words:

Pablo Neruda warns that humanity is on a path of self-destruction through war, overwork, environmental damage, and emotional neglect. People live so fast that they forget to care for themselves, others, and the Earth. This careless living harms both our bodies and spirits. He believes that a brief pause through silence can help stop this destruction. It gives us space to understand the damage we’re causing and take responsibility. Silence is the beginning of healing from our own mistakes.

20. What role does nature play in the poem “Keeping Quiet”?

📝20 words:

Nature is a symbol of silent strength and peace. It teaches us renewal, patience, and life through stillness.

📝40 words:

Nature is central in the poem. The poet refers to the Earth and whales to show how nature silently lives and heals. He believes humans should learn from nature’s quiet, powerful ways to bring balance and peace into their own lives.

📝60 words:

Nature in “Keeping Quiet” is shown as a patient teacher. The Earth stays silent during winter but quietly brings life in spring. The poet wants humans to follow nature’s example — to pause, reflect, and grow. By harming nature, we harm ourselves. If we learn to respect nature’s silent rhythm, we can also find peace, wisdom, and emotional balance in our lives.

📝80 words:

In the poem, nature is portrayed as a silent guide for humanity. The Earth doesn’t speak, yet it creates life. During winter, it rests silently, and then blooms again. This natural cycle of rest and renewal inspires the poet’s message — that silence is not lifeless, but full of meaning. He mentions whales and the environment to show that nature needs our respect. Through nature’s example, the poet suggests we embrace stillness to bring balance, understanding, and peace into our modern, noisy lives.