Monday, April 9, 2018

STATEMENTS TO STIFLE

Someone has said the real test of a polite person is to have the same ailment the other person is describing and not mention it.

In our cocktail-party culture, silence is considered awkward and uncomfortable. But silence is so much better than an unwise statement. Sometimes we activate the mouth without consulting the brain.

Here are a few of the statements we should stifle:

Anything that would make our spouses or children feel uncomfortable; statements that were made to us in confidence; all negative rumors; all jokes that are off-color; all profanity; partisan political comments in a mixed crowd; and all derogatory comments about other people except when required in a court of law.

Blessed is the person who is presumed to be smarter or nobler than he really is because he kept his mouth shut.