Prudence: 'Speak rarely, but then speak carefully. Speak with great calculation and discretion before your rivals and with great nobility of manner before friends. The opportunity to make your thoughts known arise with every social gathering, but the ability to conceal them once liberated never comes.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Speak rarely and with great care. Once thoughts are shared, they cannot be concealed again.
- In plain terms
- Think before you speak; you can hide thoughts until you say them.
- What can you take from it?
- Guard your thoughts; speak with discretion.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What is the cost of speaking too soon?
- When is silence your strongest tool?
Another view
Excessive silence can be seen as secrecy or disengagement.
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