Francois de La Rochefoucauld Quotes

If you wish another to keep your secret, first keep it to yourself.

The wise man tells not what he knows. It is not prudent to sport with one's head by revealing the king's secrets.

A wise woman keeps her hands firmly in her pockets and does not accidentally unzip anything, including her mouth.

What thou intendest to do, speak not of before thou doest it.

It is safer to be silent than to reveal one's secret to any one, and telling him not to mention it.

They are fools who kiss and tell'-- Wisely has the poet sung. Man may hold all sorts of posts If he'll only hold his tongue.

There's a real wisdom to not saying a thing.

I think there's a lot to be said for keeping your own counsel.

I know things but I shut my mouth.

Discretion is a very valuable asset.

Tell no one the secret that you want to keep, although he may be worthy of confidence; for no one will be so careful of your secret as yourself.

Entrust a secret to one whose importance will not be much increased by divulging it.

Dishonesty is not the only alternative to honesty. There is also the highly underrated virtue of shutting up.

The severest test of character is not so much the ability to keep a secret as it is, when the secret is finally out, to refrain from disclosing that you knew it all along.

It is but a small merit to observe silence, but it is a grave fault to speak of matters on which we should be silent.

Knowledge is power only as long as you keep your mouth shut.

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

Betray not a secret even though racked by wine or wrath.

Hide your secret even from the closest friend; learn to be silent.

Have more than you show, Speak less than you know.

I will take his secret to the grave, telling people I meet on the way.

Can you keep secrets? Can you know a thing and never say it again?

I have tales to tell, but I don't tell them. Discretion. Discretion.

Never tell all you know—not even to the person you know best.

Safety lies in silence. It is easier to rectify what you miss by silence, than to secure what you lose by speaking.