Say Nothing If You Cannot Say It Well

I think this week’s Sa’di Says speaks for itself:

A seasoned speaker knows his craft demands
careful thought or his words will go to waste.
Follow his example. Say nothing if
you cannot say it well; make silence
the voice of your wisdom. Don’t let others insist
you’ve said enough; and if they then complain
you speak too slowly, let them wait. They’ll learn:
the gift of speech reveals that we’re not beasts,
but even beasts are better civilized
than those who ignore this gift’s proper use.

To say anything more would be to demonstrate the value of the warning these lines contain, though they do leave me with some questions I think are worth reflecting on: When and why have you chosen silence instead of speaking up? What have you risked in making that choice? In the end, was it worth it?

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3 Responses to Say Nothing If You Cannot Say It Well

  1. 1
    Grace Annam says:

    Ahem. This seems to be an intimidating post to venture a reply to… :D

    Grace

  2. ‘Tis true, Grace. On many levels. :)

    And I wasn’t really expecting much of a response. I just think they’re important questions to think about.

  3. 3
    Brian says:

    I am working on a power point on active listening this week, so that’s a nice thought as I figure out how to get a room full of clients to talk less, listen more and be still. Thanks for it