Beyond the Rhetoric

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”

If you are searching for valuable words of wisdom, it only makes sense to turn to the legendary philosophers of Ancient Greece. These guys always had something fascinating to say and their words reverberate right through to the modern day, holding up their relevancy several centuries later.

You might remember when I quoted Aristotle in a previous edition of Sunday Snippet. Today, we go from the student to the teacher, turning our attention to Plato. In the above quote, he reminds us that you shouldn’t open your mouth to say something just for the sake of saying something. Making your voice heard, but without any substance, is a waste of breath.

Ironically enough, it seems like contemporary politicians typically take the completely opposite approach. They feel the need to chime in on just about every issue and every controversy. This is partly because they want to stay in the public eye, but it’s also because their constituents demand to hear their opinions… even if those words are filtered through a handler.

For the average citizen, however, it is perfectly acceptable not to know something; just take the initiative to learn more about a subject and become knowledgeable in its arena before blinding spewing out an uneducated tirade on the topic. Ignorance may be bliss, but do you really want to be perceived as being ignorant? Don’t feel obligated to interject yourself unnecessarily.

Now that we’ve taken care of Aristotle and Plato, perhaps Socrates needs his own Sunday Snippet post.

Tags: memorable quotes, philosophy, public speaking

Filed under Personal Development.