Timely Silence

If you want to add value through your words, here’s a simple best practice: 

Use fewer of them. 

Ideas of value always shun verbosity, being foreign to confusion and fantasy. Timely silence then is precious, for it is nothing less than the mother of the wisest thoughts.

—Diadochos of Photiki, On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination

If it helps you remember, here’s a more poetic version: 

Ideas that are dear 
are real and clear.

There’s even a special bonus for the taciturn: when we keep timely silence, others will often think we’re wiser than we actually are!

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