Always Say Less Than Necessary

The father of Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, wanted to invade Sparta.

So he sent a messenger to deliver the following message: “Should I come as a friend or an enemy?”

“Neither,” the laconic Spartans responded.

“What do they mean?” Philip must have thought.

He couldn’t demystify their words, so he sent a new message saying, “If I invade Laconia (Sparta), I will kick you out.”

“If” was the Spartans’ reply.

Why do you talk so much? Chances are—to show people you are smart, right? Then why do you sometimes end up looking like an idiot?

The idea is simple: the more you talk, the higher the chances of saying something untrue or stupid, or giving a promise you know you can’t keep.

This is why Cato the Younger, “the most Stoic of all,” as Cicero called him, said, “I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.”

It's better to remain silent and cause people to think you are a fool than “to open your mouth and remove all doubt,” Mark Twain once stated.

And if you are indeed a fool, at least let them ponder (wink face).

For the Stoics, using only a few words to convey your message was a sign of self-control and self-sufficiency.

“We have two ears and only one mouth for a reason,” said the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium.

So why do you speak?

Do you speak because there is something important to be said, or just to have something to say?

Till next time,

Said The Stoic

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