Busy With Gossip

"Moscow is chiefly busy with gossip," he continued. "Just now they are talking about you and your father.""

- Leo Tolstoy. War and Peace 

The Silent Blesser

"His (John of the Cross, Spanish mystic, in "The Ascent of Mount Carmel") fourth Council invites us to relativize ourselves by no longer giving into our natural instinct to seek to be the centre of attention. For John, we move toward maturity by striving to be a listener rather than the one seeking to be listened to, by striving to give our attention to others rather than seeking to be the centre of attention, and by striving to be the one who is blessing others rather than being the one seeking the blessing. "

- Ronald Rolheiser. Sacred Fire 

Barking Tingue

"When anger's busy in the brain Thy idly-barking tongue restrain."

- Sappho. 7th Century BC Greek Lyric Poet 

Talebearers

"Indeed tyrants themselves, who must know all things, are made unpopular by no class more than by their spies and talebearers."

- Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals 1st Century Greek Philosopher 

The Unasked Question

"I confess I am quite put out of countenance by the example of the slave of Pupius Piso the orator. He, not wishing to be annoyed by their prating, ordered his slaves merely to answer his questions, and not say a word more. On one occasion wishing to pay honour to Clodius who was then in power, he ordered him to be invited to his house, and provided for him no doubt a sumptuous entertainment. At the time fixed all the guests were present except Clodius, for whom they waited, and the host frequently sent the slave who used to invite guests to see if he was coming, but when evening came, and he was now quite despaired of, he said to his slave, "Did you not invite him?" "Certainly," said the slave. "Why then has he not come?" said the master. "Because he declined," said the slave. "Why then did you not tell me of it at once?" said the master. "Because you never asked me," said the slave."

- Plutarch. Morals. 1st Century Greek Philosopher. 

Few Words

"... so Laconian oratory has no rind...

for example, what the Lacedæmonians said to Philip, "[Remember] Dionysius at Corinth."  And again, when Philip wrote to them, "If I invade Laconia, I will drive you all out of house and home," they only wrote back, "If."

- Plutarch. Morals. 1st Century Greek Philosopher

Two Legs To Flee A Talker

"... according to the wise Aristotle himself. For he being bothered with a talkative fellow, and wearied out with his absurd tales, and his frequent question, "Is not this wonderful, Aristotle?" "Not at all," said he, "but it is wonderful that anyone with a pair of legs stops here to listen to you." And to another such fellow, who said after a long rigmarole, "Did I weary you, philosopher, by my chatter?" "Not you, by Zeus," said he, "for I paid no attention to you." For even if talkative people force you to listen, the mind can give them only its outward ears to deluge, while it unfolds and pursues some other thoughts within;..."

- Plutarch. Morals. 1st Century Greek Philosopher 

Talkativeness

"Philosophy finds talkativeness a disease very difficult and hard to cure. For its remedy, conversation, requires hearers: but talkative people hear nobody, for they are ever prating. And the first evil this inability to keep silence produces is an inability to listen......

For their ears can certainly have no passages leading to the brain but only to the tongue. And so while other people retain what they hear, talkative people lose it altogether, and, being empty-headed, they resemble empty vessels, and go about making much noise.  If however it seems that no attempt at cure has been left untried, let us say to the talkative person, "Be silent, boy; silence has great advantages; For their ears can certainly have no passages leading to the brain but only to the tongue. And so while other people retain what they hear, talkative people lose it altogether, and, being empty-headed, they resemble empty vessels, and go about making much noise. If however it seems that no attempt at cure has been left untried, let us say to the talkative person, "Be silent, boy; silence has great advantages;" two of the first and foremost of which are hearing and being heard, neither of which can happen to talkative people, for however they desire either so unhappy are they that they must desist from it. For in all other diseases of the soul, as love of money, love of glory, or love of pleasure, people at any rate attain the desired object: but it is the cruel fate of talkative people to desire hearers but not to get them, for everyone flees from them with headlong speed; and if people are sitting or walking about in any public place,  and see one coming they quickly pass the word to one another to shift quarters."

- Plutarch. Morals. 1st Century Greek Philosopher 

We Talk Too Much

“I’ve been teaching you so many years, and therefore I’ve been talking aloud so many years, that I’ve got into the habit of talking, and so much so that it’s almost more difficult for me to hold my tongue than to talk, even now, in spite of my weakness.."

- Alyosha in Fyodor Dostoevshy's, The Brothers Karamazov. 

A Lifetime Of Talking Too Much

"I’m just loving shutting up. It’s honestly been simmering inside of me for quite a while. My entire life has been filled with too much talk. From myself as well as those around me. I’ve been noticing that most of us, when we talk, fill the air with… more air. "

~ Drew Marshall - Practicing silence one day a week for six months, then walked the 800km Camino De Santiago pilgrimage in silence starting on his 50th birthday.

www.Camnoconfessions.com

A Fast Lie

“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
― Mark Twain

Passing From Flattering and Artificial Discourses

"..... so those who go in for philosophy, when they have passed from flattering and artificial discourses to such as deal with character and emotion, are beginning to make genuine and modest progress in virtue.

Furthermore, take care, in reading the writings of philosophers or hearing their speeches, that you do not attend to words more than things, nor get attracted more by what is difficult and curious than by what is serviceable and solid and useful." 

- Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals. First Century Greek Philosopher

Life Lessons From Momma

LESSONS FROM MUMMA

"When it came to listening 

My mother taught me silence. 'If you are drowning their voice with yours

How will you hear them?'

She asked. 

• • •

"When it came to speaking 

She said,

'Do it with commitment

Every word you say is your own responsibility'   • • • 

"When it came to being 

She said,

'Be tender and tough at once.

You need to be vulnerable to live fully 

But tough enough to survive it all.' 

• • • 

"When it came to choosing 

She asked me to be thankful 

For the choices I had 

That she never had the privilege 

Of making."

- Rupi Kaur. "Lessons From Mumma" 

A Thick Hide Helps

"I'm always embarrassed when people say that I'm courageous. Soldiers are courageous. Policemen are courageous. Firemen are courageous. I just have a thick hide and disregard what silly people say."

-Thomas Sowell 

Silence Is Rarely Regrettable

"For silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech. And that is, I think, the reason why the ancients instituted the mysteries that we, learning therein to be silent, might transfer our secrecy to the gods to human affairs. And no one ever yet repented of his silence, while multitudes have repented of their speaking. And what has not been said is easy to say, while what has been once said can never be recalled."

- Greek Plilisopher Plutarch. 1st cen AD. Priest of Apollo and Guardian of the Oracle of Delphi.

Venturesome Speech Is Preferred Over Bombastic Speech

"I advise to avoid stilted and bombastic language, so again do I urge to avoid a finical and petty style of speech; for tall talk is unpopular, and petty language makes no impression. And as the body ought to be not only sound but in good condition, so speech ought to be not only not feeble but vigorous. For a safe mediocrity is indeed praised, but a bold venturesomeness is also admired."

Plutarch, Plutarch's Morals.  1st Centuray AD Greek Philosopher.

God- Be In My Head

Written in the 13th century in Sarum England.

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at my end, and at my departing."
~ Sarum Primer

Mannerly Behavior & Wasted Words

"Torn between his hatred of wasted words and his deep respect for mannerly behavior, he was the very definition of unsettled."

~ Eric Metaxas. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

Stories Matter

"Stories Matter!
Many stories matter.
Stories have been used to disposses and to malign.
But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize.
Stories can break the dignity of a people. 
But stories can also repair that broken dignity."

~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie