In this meditation we will explain why it is important to speak little and well, as opposed to speaking often but poorly.
It is widely known that Zeno of Citium, the father of Stoicism, was a man of few words. However, this is not because he rarely thought of anything to say; rather, he only spoke when he had something worthwhile to say. This is fittingly demonstrated in the following quote:
“The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less.”
Zeno of Citium
Stoics valued the virtue of temperance in all things, including our use of speech. Unfortunately, people often speak at great length about subjects they don’t truly understand, or they indulge in meaningless gossip, or sometimes they speak just for the sake of filling a silence. Stoics would encourage us to watch that our tongues do not move ahead of our minds.
Philosophers are the masters of words and concepts, so they naturally notice when others talk about things they don’t truly understand. Socrates’ philosophy was the finest example of this practice, as he encouraged people to realize the flaws in their own thinking. We will now discuss why it is important to speak little and well, and how this can improve your wellbeing.
Mind Ahead of Speech
The quality of our thoughts is determined by our level of mindfulness and how often we examine those thoughts. Moreover, there is no benefit to verbalizing our impressions the moment they come to us. That is why people who speak a lot often don’t say anything. In this sense, our words hold no weight, nor any significant meaning. Instead, it is our thoughts that hold this importance.
“Let silence be your general rule; or say only what is necessary and in few words.”
Epictetus
In the above quote, Epictetus isn’t suggesting we remain silent in every situation. As you can see, he refers to silence as a “general rule”. That means we should check our thoughts before we decide to speak out loud. The main instance where this general rule should be imposed is in opportunities for gossip. While gossiping, we are indulging in a web of unconfirmed information. This is not only damaging to the subjects of the gossip, but our character also suffers greatly when we indulge in it.
It’s a popular idea today to have an opinion on almost every subject. However, when we make ourselves a jack of all trades, our opinions are usually baseless and potentially biased. These are not true thoughts on the subject; they are merely impressions. People often mistake impressions for thoughts and are inclined to feel offended when these impressions are proven wrong. This kind of conduct is common among crowds and on the internet, and has no value according to Stoics. True value lies in individuality and our ability to examine our thoughts in order to form our own conclusions and discover any misconceptions.
Meditation: How to Speak Little and Well
We are all tangled together by our prejudices and common opinions. The vast network of information deeply influences how we think and what we say. However, there is a way to escape this sea of impressions. Stoics would advise you to spend more time reflecting on the given information in order to see if there is any value in it.
The greatest value is that of your own examined mind. If you have thoughts about some event, object or person, ask yourself: how did I get this impression? Is it my own opinion, or am I merely conforming to the popular consensus? Follow the breadcrumbs, and if you can’t discover how you first established those impressions, then it is quite possible they are not your own thoughts.
We are only capable of noticing these impostor thoughts when we meditate on our own impressions. Furthermore, turn yourself away when you encounter gossip. Speaking too often on trivial and potentially harmful topics can affect your mind and your perspectives. Following this advice will help you to master your thoughts and become a virtuous and temperament individual. Remember, wise people often say little, but what they do say is much more valuable because of it.
