Never promise more than you can perform.
Publilius SyrusRead
I often regret that I have spoken; never that I have been silent.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the value of silence over the potential regret of speaking without thought.
Publilius Syrus emphasizes the importance of choosing words carefully and reflects on the idea that people often feel regret after speaking, especially if their words were unwise or hurtful. In contrast, remaining silent is portrayed as a safer choice, suggesting that sometimes it is better to listen or refrain from unnecessary comment than to risk making a mistake with one's speech.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a discussion about communication skills in workshops.
Never promise more than you can perform.
Pain forces even the innocent to lie.
In a heated argument we are apt to lose sight of the truth.
Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.
What a tragedy is help where it harms what it supports!
The miser is as much in want of what he has as of what he has not.
On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur.
Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? You only truly, deeply appreciate and are grateful for something when you compare and contrast it to something worse.
When you are mute, you become a good listener - it's all one-way. You appreciate the written word. You appreciate the sound.
The failure of academic feminists to recognize difference as a crucial strength is a failure to reach beyond the first patriarchal lesson. In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower.
All makers must leave room for the acts of the spirit. But they have to work hard and carefully, and wait patiently, to deserve them.
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