Jean de La Bruyère - Speak Quotes

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It is a great misfortune not to have enough wit to speak well, or not enough judgment to keep silent.

Jean de La Bruyère

It is a sad thing when men have neither the wit to speak well, nor the judgment to hold their tongues.

Jean de La Bruyère

Menippus is a bird decked in various feathers which are not his. He neither says nor feels anything, but repeats the feelings and sayings of others; it is so natural for him to make use of other people's minds that he is the first deceived by it, and often believes he speaks his own mind or expresses his own thoughts when he is but the echo of some man he just parted with.

Jean de La Bruyère

There are several ways to speak: to speak well, to speak easily, to speak justly, and to speak at the right moment.

Jean de La Bruyère

We should keep silent about those in power; to speak well of them almost implies flattery; to speak ill of them while they are alive is dangerous, and when they are dead is cowardly.

Jean de La Bruyère