Most men make little use of their speech than to give evidence against their own understanding.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Many people speak mostly to reveal their lack of understanding.
- In plain terms
- People often talk in ways that show they do not understand things.
- What can you take from it?
- Silence often preserves dignity better than unnecessary speech.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you listen more than you speak?
- What does your speech reveal?
Another view
Speaking can also help clarify understanding through feedback.
More from George Savile
Men who borrow their opinions can never repay their debts.
Permalink to quote #24 No man is so much a fool as not to have wit enough sometimes to be a knave; nor any so cunning a knave as not to have the weakness sometimes to play the fool.
Permalink to quote #26 Many men swallow the being cheated, but no man can ever endure to chew it.
Permalink to quote #23
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