Genuine good taste consists in saying much in few words, in choosing among our thoughts, in having order and arrangement in what we say, and in speaking with composure.
Francois FenelonRead
Nothing is more despicable than a professional talker who uses his words as a quack uses his remedies
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote criticizes those who manipulate words without genuine substance, paralleling deceitful practices in medicine.
Francois Fenelon draws a comparison between insincere communicators and dishonest practitioners in medicine, emphasizing that both manipulate their respective fields for personal gain. The quote warns against the dangers of shallow or empty rhetoric, suggesting that genuine communication should be grounded in truth and integrity rather than mere words devoid of meaning.
Themes
CommunicationIntegrityWordsDeceitHonesty
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about effective leadership.
More from Francois Fenelon
All quotes βTrue prayer is only another name for the love of God. Its excellence does not consist in the multitude of our words; for our Father knoweth what things we have need of before we ask Him. The true prayer is that of the heart, and the heart prays only for what it desires. To pray, then is to desire -- but to desire what God would have us desire. He who asks what he does not from the bottom of his heart desire, is mistaken in thinking that he prays.
Francois FenelonRead
The greatest of all crosses is self. If we die in part every day, we shall have but little to do on the last. These little daily deaths will destroy the power of the final dying.
Francois FenelonRead
How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.
Francois FenelonRead
If we were faultless we should not be so much annoyed by the defects of those with whom we associate.
Francois FenelonRead
If the crowns of all the kingdoms of the empire were laid down at my feet in exchange for my books and my love of reading I would spurn them all.
Francois FenelonRead
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