Pittacus of Mytilene Quotes

It is given to few persons to keep this secret well. Those who lay down rules too often break them, and the safest we are able to give is to listen much, to speak little, and to say nothing that that will ever give ground or regret.

Never tell anyone what you are going to do till you've done it.

Mum's the word.

One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say.

Not every truth is the better for showing its face undisguised; and often silence is the wisest thing for a man to heed.

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

For some of us, the less said about the way we do things the better.

I know things but I shut my mouth.

If my friends don’t know what my plans are, then my enemies will not.

In politics you'll never get into trouble by not saying too much.

Discretion is a very valuable asset.

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

Whatever you say, say nothing.

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

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

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

Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth.

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

If you don't know, it's not always necessary to admit it.

I don't have to tell you it goes without saying there are some things better left unsaid. I think that speaks for itself. The less said about it the better.

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.

Everything must not always be said, for that would be folly.

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.