
“Part of manhood, I am thinking, is to ponder one’s words before opening one’s mouth.”
Source: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Stone of Farewell (1990), Chapter 12, “Birdsflight” (p. 297).
“Part of manhood, I am thinking, is to ponder one’s words before opening one’s mouth.”
Source: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Stone of Farewell (1990), Chapter 12, “Birdsflight” (p. 297).
The Observer (paragraph 20) http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jul/18/oliver-stone-chavez-wall-street.
Tremendous Trifles (1909)
Context: For my friend said that he opened his intellect as the sun opens the fans of a palm tree, opening for opening's sake, opening infinitely for ever. But I said that I opened my intellect as I opened my mouth, in order to shut it again on something solid. I was doing it at the moment. And as I truly pointed out, it would look uncommonly silly if I went on opening my mouth infinitely, for ever and ever.
“To be generous is to say yes before the man even opens his mouth.”
Henry Miller on Writing (1964)
A Drinking Song http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/1399/
The Green Helmet and Other Poems (1910)
“It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Cited as an example of "What Mark Twain Didn't Say" in Mark Twain by Geoffrey C. Ward, et al.
Misattributed
Variant: It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
“Tis better people think you a fool, then open your mouth and erase all doubt.”
Variously attributed to Lincoln, Elbert Hubbard, Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin and Socrates
Misattributed
Variant: It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.