Francis de Sales Quotes

I often regret that I have spoken; never that I have been silent.

I have noticed that nothing that I never said ever did me any harm.

I've really learned to watch what I say.

I regret things all the time. I've never regretted not saying something. I've only regretted saying something.

Little said is soon amended.

Words let us say the things we want to say and also things we would be better off not having said. They let us know the things we need to know, and also things we wish we didn't.

When you have nothing to say, say nothing.

Put a bridle on thy tongue; set a guard before thy lips, lest the words of thine own mouth destroy thy peace... on much speaking cometh repentance, but in silence is safety.

Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.

There is a better thing than the great man who is always speaking, and that is the great man who only speaks when he has a great word to say.

Better the feet slip then the tongue.

You'll regret opening your mouth. You'll rarely regret keeping it shut.

I suppose that people, using themselves and each other so much by words, are at least consistent in attributing wisdom to a still tongue.

We rarely repent of speaking little, but often of speaking too much.

So much harm comes into this world when the wrong thing is said. But that's nothing compared to the pain from what goes unsaid.

Remember what Simonides said, that he never repented that he had held his tongue, but often that he had spoken.

It is easier not to speak a word at all than to speak more words than we should.

You can't say everything, so you don't say nothing.

A diplomat is a man who thinks twice before he says nothing.

It's not so much knowing when to speak, when to pause.

A word once uttered can never be recalled.

As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.

The unspoken word never does harm.

Men are born with two eyes, but with one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say.

We need a reason to speak but none to keep silent.