There is, indeed, no wild beast more to be dreaded than a communicative man having nothing to communicate.
Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Swift warns that a talkative person who has nothing meaningful to say can be more annoying or dangerous than a wild animal.
- In plain terms
- A person who talks endlessly without meaning is very annoying.
- What can you take from it?
- Silence is often better than empty chatter.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do people talk when they have nothing to say?
- How do you handle endless chatter without being rude?
Another view
Some people talk to fill silence and do not intend harm.
More from Jonathan Swift
(On leaving money to found a psychiatric hospital in Dublin) No nation needs it so much.
Permalink to quote #96 As love without esteem is volatile and capricious; esteem without love is languid and cold.
Permalink to quote #98 A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying... that he is wiser today than yesterday.
Permalink to quote #95
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