#Talking Archives - Page 10 of 10

I have said before you should stop talking.

Here are 6 great quotes about talking too much.

1. “Big words and promises mean nothing; only actions carry weight.”

-Robert Greene and 50 Cent, The 50th Law (Amazon)

2. “God’s Word has strong medicine for those who carelessly wag their tongues. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell (James 3;6). He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity (Proverbs 21:23). He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin (Proverbs 13:3). When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise (Proverbs 10:19).”

-Max Lucado, God Came Near (Amazon)

3. “And that’s what is so insidious about talk . Anyone can talk about himself or herself. Even a child knows how to gossip and chatter. Most people are decent at hype and sales. So what is scarce and rare? Silence. The ability to deliberately keep yourself out of the conversation and subsist without its validation. Silence is the respite of the confident and the strong.”

-Ryan Holiday, Ego is The Enemy (Amazon)

4. “Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again so that it serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the listener. -Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519”

-Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power (Amazon)

5. “Don’t say things. What you are…thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. -Ralph Waldo Emerson”

-Eric Greitens, Resilience (Amazon)

6. “When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.”

-Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power (Amazon)

The problems that a good many have are a result of one simple thing.They talk when they should have remained silent.

Good grief. Stop it.

This issue is pointedly taken up by Robert Green in his best selling book, The 48 Laws of Power.

Green takes the entirety of Law 4 to address it:

LAW 4 – ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY

“When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.”

The more you say – the more you reveal.

The more you say – the more you show your insecurities and flaws.

The more you say – the more opportunities you have to embarrass yourself.

The Bible even addresses this issue.

Over and over it warns against careless words:

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.”
—Proverbs 10:19

“Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.”
—Proverbs 17:28

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”
—James 1:19

“Do you see a man hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
—Proverbs 29:20

And the list goes on:

Proverbs 18:2

Proverbs 21:23