Thoughtful Communication Quotes

Think before you speak. Read before you think. This will give you something to think about that you didn't make up yourself - a wise move at any age, but most especially at seventeen, when you are in the greatest danger of coming to annoying conclusions.

The wise man thinks once before he speaks twice.

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.

A wise man first thinks and then speaks and a fool speaks first and then thinks.

Speak not at all, in any wise, till you have somewhat to speak; care not for the reward of your speaking, but simply and with undivided mind for the truth of your speaking.

I will begin to speak when I have that to say which had not better be unsaid.

Have more than thou showest, Speak less than thou knowest, Lend less than thou owest.

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

I don't want the government to be censoring people, I don't think there should be censoring boards, but I think that means that we the artists need to be very careful about what we're putting out and what were saying and how we're saying it. And I don't think we're being as careful as we should be.

There are two great rules of life: never tell everything at once.

We have to articulate ourselves. Otherwise we would be cows in the field.

I'm generally soft spoken, very measured, and I think 500 times before I say something.

If we were handling a bomb which could go off at any minute as a result of our actions, we would mind ourselves and be delicate. Our words have the same power, yet we wield them around as though they were powerless and insignificant.

Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly.

Because there can be consequences for saying the first thing that pops into our heads, it is prudent to exercise tact.

Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.

I'm of the opinion that it's okay to be silent, to not speak if you don't have anything to say.

I don't want the words to be naked the way they are in faxes or in the computer. I want them to be covered by an envelope that you have to rip open in order to get at. I want there to be a waiting time -a pause between the writing and the reading. I want us to be careful about what we say to each other. I want the miles between us to be real and long. This will be our law -that we write our dailiness and our suffering very, very carefully.

The faster the word sticks to the thought, the more beautiful is the effect.

I've really learned to watch what I say.

You've got to guard against speaking more clearly than you think.

Never rise to speak till you have something to say; and when you have said it, cease.

Those who have few affairs to attend to are great speakers. The less men think, the more they talk.

The transition from unknown to known-in-publishing has been empowering but also challenging. It's an honor to know that people actually want to know what I think about certain issues, but I also have to be careful about what I say or, rather, how I say it. The Internet is forever, y'all.

To be silent is not to lose your tongue. On the contrary, it is only through silence that one can discover something new to talk about. One who talked incessantly, without stopping to look and listen, would repeat himself ad nauseam.