Silence and witness are two pillars of Quaker spirituality. Worship in the Quaker tradition is fundamentally receptive and contemplative. Witness is active, testifying to the power of God to transform the human condition and seeking to engage the world to improve human society. At their best, each is rooted in the other; social action can be an expression of worship, and worship can participate in remaking society. For Friends, the experience of divine leading links the two. Our witness grows out of God's leading as encountered in contemplative worship. Faithfulness to leadings, in turn, enhances the experience of worship.
— Michael Birkel, Silence and Witness