Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. – Plato
Another version of this is: only talk when doing so will improve upon the silence (paraphrased, from who I don’t know).
Talking just because you want to talk is needy, or narcissistic or disrespectful – or all three.
Take the time to consider if what you’re thinking of saying is useful, or helpful.
Sometimes, it’s not.
Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. – Thomas Jefferson You must tell yourself the truth: About how you’ve succeeded. About the things you said you’d do, but haven’t. About the things you’ve done, but wish you hadn’t. About how you’ve “failed,” and that failure is a lie itself – everything creates results,…
The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized – never knowing. – Jim Rohn The things your heart yearns for, the things you know you were made for, must…
“The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein The idea that our language creates our world (each of our worlds… ) is very compelling for me. I have long said that humans are meaning-seeking and meaning-creating creatures. We must not only understand our world, but make sense of it,…
Laws control the lesser man . . . . Right conduct controls the greater one. – Mark Twain Someone with a strong character needs no external guide or precepts to determine behavior. Where do you look for guidance? Do you consult “laws” to see what’s acceptable? Or do you consult your ethics to see what’s…
More genius from the estimable Seth Godin (click here to see the post on his site): There are two ways to get ahead: the race to the bottom and the race to the top. You can get as close to the danger zone as you dare. Spam people. Seek deniability. Hide in the shadows. Push…
That might seem like an odd title, or perhaps a not very helpful one. But it will soon make sense. A mentor of mine sent me a message that contained the following line: If I am on the wrong road it doesn’t matter how good I get at speeding down the road. It’s the wrong…