Why do you keep quiet?

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1. I do not care
2. I cannot be bothered.

I used to be very quiet. These days i tend to go back and forth between talking too much and being "quiet," depending on the situation. I don't know where to find that happy medium. But, whenever i'm accused of being too "quiet" it's usually because i don't know what to say or don't know that i'm expected to say something. When i was little i was constantly called "quiet," and i couldn't figure out why because i thought i was talking as much as i needed to.. I had no idea what else it was i was supposed to be saying. Still don't, really.... But these days i've at least learned to try by bringing up random things that i think someone might be interested in(but they often aren't).

I have a rule where - with the exception of very few people - I will not talk to anyone unless they talk to me first. This works out for everyone, because it prevents the possibility of me embarrassing myself trying to talk to people, and I don't really WANT to talk to many people anyway. It also works out for everyone else because they won't be annoyed by me, and therefore can't reject me because I never attempt to fit in anyway.

I keep quiet because I have trouble keeping up with conversations, but mostly it's because I know that when I get going I lose whatever filters I have and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind; which has gotten me into trouble on several occasions.

self-preservation

I have been burned so many times. I almost always say the wrong thing. I am trying to get my truth out and apparently that is almost always the wrong thing to do.

And I overspill with coworkers and other people and I have been burned a few times in that way too so I really have to watch it in work situations. Just because I am not out for blood doesn't mean that other people aren't.

Because:
- I'm not interested in the subject.
- I don't know much about the subject.
- I'm not sure how to phrase it.
- Clearing up the likely misunderstanding would be too much effort.
- I don't want to start a pointless argument (ie religion).
- I don't want to tell people about my private life.
- I don't know I'm supposed to say something, or what I should say.
- I don't want to go through the physical effort of talking right then.

b9, your posts stand out to me - you seem like a very interesting person.

I often keep quiet because I barely know what to say and I worry that I'll say the wrong thing and other people will think I'm weird. I also believe that I have social anxiety, which doesn't really help!

I think my initial quietness going back to childhood stemmed from an adverse reaction to my mother's non-stop hyperverbal activity.It made me feel intimidated and stressed as I couldn't understand how someone could possibly talk so much ! Deep down I felt that I had to be quieter to counteract the stress.
Nowadays my other main reasons for being quiet are
a) I haven't got a partner,children or wide social circle,which all seem to be the main topics of conversation among my work colleagues.
Even if I did have a family I wouldn't be inclined to discuss their faults or other matters that I consider private.A degree of privacy
these days seems to be frowned upon.
b) Chatting doesn't come naturally to me,I have to think carefully what I'm going to say (although I can sometimes appear to offer
spontaneous and quick-witted comments,they often come from a catalogue of material that's been stored away in my mind,just
waiting for opportunities to use them)
I can talk as much as anyone if the subject of the conversation is something I can contribute to.

^That.
Also, I am afraid of saying the wrong thing, and, as mentioned below, I often times have a hard time organizing my thoughts. When I speak, I may be too blunt or too descriptive and people do not understand what I am saying (in more than just one way). And I often times sound "too smart" when I speak, giving them the impression that I am a nerd. I try to pretend that I know less than I do because everyone else does and I don't want to seem like a complete geek. I speak an awful lot to my friends, but the things I say to others are often taken the wrong way, and I have to revise what I say. My sense of logic is often out of touch with that of those around me as well. And I lack social skills. In short, I don't want crap. I'll keep my mouth shut unless I'm contributing to class discussion or someone asks a question. Except for in ROTC. I'm familiar with the environment (4 years in), and I just belt out.

Generally it's because I don't know what to say, or just not really feel talking.

Same for me. NTs know naturally a lot of things on which I'm clueless.

I don't.
I am an "active but odd type" of ASD person, and I get fed up with the assumption that all on the spectrum are quiet, introverted and silent.

For me, it can be as stereotyping and as frustrating as the "Rain Man" assumptions in mainstream society, and when I see it promulgated it just plain annoys me.

I can be noisy,blunt, loud and outspoken at times, and as a consequence I can get things truly mixed up in the group or community arena.

There are so many reasons...

1. Buddhist virtues, I saw someone mention that and I completely agree.
2. When I say too much, i get tired and i don't think others are very interested anyway
3. If I mindlessly complain people, without fail, will offer up advice that I didn't want anyway and then they get pushy with it. That's a peeve of mine - I'll do things at my own pace, thank you.
4. I might give more info than I wanted and regret it later (a constant danger in my little existence)
5. Other people around me seem to do enough talking for the both of us Sometimes I don't feel like I can get a word in edgewise, because it takes me a minute to express myself, so I often just surrender and let them talk on and on - that's what they wanted to do anyway.
6. Most of the time, I feel like people are just not looking for anything substantive, and in that case I'm not interested and don't want to really have much to do with them. I was fairly uninterested in the other kids in school for this reason.

Though, like some mentioned, I can be blunt and blurt out things - usually, they are sort of funny or reflect a thought process that might be a little divergent that (I think) my family finds endearing....hmm, maybe I should reconsider....

You said it. I feel just like that. My language comes out a little stiff sometimes - and there are some people in my family who generally speak in a very relaxed way, which is great, and I actually appreciate it, but I don't really, and if I use an adverb around them, they seem to get really uncomfortable. I wish it weren't like that. It's better I just don't talk sometimes.

Basically this. I have found that some reasons dominate in certain situations. Around people I'm not that close to, it's usually the not-sounding-dumb issue. Around people I'm close to, it's usually the hurt-feelings issue. If I'm tired, then it's usually the last one. In those precious situations where I'm talking to just one close friend and there's no rush and I can take my time and think about what I want to say, I can speak eloquently and at length.

I talk around my immediately just fine. I can be pretty talkative. However, outside of them, there's a disconnect. I usually find my mind completely empty of responses. Ask me anything I don't have a pre-planned answer to and my mind goes completely blank.

Also, message boards, like this one, I'll sometimes reply. Usually though, I'll read a thread, think my answer and move on. I don't feel compelled to reply. So even when I have a thought, I don't necessarily feel the need to share it.