Qui plussait, plus se tait. French, you know. The more a man knows, the less he talks.
Interpretation
Knowledge often leads to humility, where the more one understands, the less one feels the need to speak.
This quote suggests that true wisdom is often reflected in silence rather than constant speech. As individuals gain knowledge and insight, they may realize the complexity of issues, leading to a more thoughtful approach that values listening and contemplation over talking extensively.
In practice
In a discussion about personal growth and development, one might quote this to emphasize the value of listening over talking.
Truth is what is true, and it's not necessarily factual. Truth and fact are not the same thing. Truth does not contradict or deny facts, but it goes through and beyond facts. This is something that it is very difficult for some people to understand. Truth can be dangerous.
George MacDonald gives me renewed strength during times of trouble--times when I have seen people tempted to deny God--when he says, "The Son of God suffered unto death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like his.
If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are.
I never want to lose the story-loving child within me, or the adolescent, or the young woman, or the middle-aged one, because all together they help me to be fully alive on this journey, and show me that I must be willing to go where it takes me, even through the valley of the shadow.
The minute we begin to think we have all the answers, we forget the questions.
When we believe in the impossible, it becomes possible, and we can do all kinds of extraordinary things.
It's a great lesson about not being too precious about your writing. You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke you can until the last possible second, and then you have to let it go. You can't be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it...You have to let people see what you wrote.
It's okay to lose; just don't lose the lesson.
A man who cannot control his temper is not very likely to control his passions, and no matter what his pretensions in religion, he moves in daily life very close to the animal plane.
Your life, all of your life, is your path to awakening. By resisting or not dealing with its challenges, you stay asleep to Reality. Pay attention to what life is trying to reveal to you. Say yes to its fierce, ruthless, and loving grace.
Once we recognize the fact that every individual is a treasury of hidden and unsuspected qualities, our lives become richer, our judgement better, and our world is more right. It is not love that is blind, it is only the unnoticing eye that cannot see the real qualities of people.
Avoidance of sin is lighter than the pain of remorse.
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