Leo Tolstoy
Circle of Reading
Translated by Dmitry Fadeyev

February 26

Try to recall everything that was said after a long conversation and you will see just how empty, unnecessary and oftentimes bad much or even all of what was said was.

1

It is best for a stupid person to remain silent. But if he knew this, he would not be stupid.

— Saadi

2

Whenever you speak, your words should be better than silence.

— Arabian proverb

3

For every time you regret not having said something, you will regret a hundred times that you did.

4

Kind people never argue; those who argue are never kind.

Wise people are never learned. Learned people are never wise.

True words are never pleasant. Pleasant words are never true.

— Laozi

5

Just the fact that it banishes empty talk already makes manual labor useful.

6

If you want to be clever, learn to ask intelligently, listen attentively, answer calmly and stop talking when there is nothing more to say.

— Lavater

7

If people spend a long time arguing, then it is proof that they themselves are unclear about what they are arguing about.

— Voltaire

8

People utter so many absurdities just because they want to say something new.

— Voltaire

9

The tongue of a mute is better than the tongue of a liar.

— Turkish proverb


If you have the time to think then, before you start saying anything, consider whether what you want to say is worth saying, whether it is necessary, and whether it could harm someone.