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.
“Max opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. “No.”
“Speak louder. You used a word I don’t understand.””
Source: Starman Jones (1953), Chapter 9, “Chartman Jones” (p. 95)
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Robert A. Heinlein 557
American science fiction author 1907–1988Related quotes
“The greatest sermons are the ones given with a closed mouth and an open heart.”
Source: Life, the Truth, and Being Free (2010), p. 135
note, 1910; in: ' 'Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: ein Künstlerleben in Selbstzeugnissen' ', Andreas Gabelmann; Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern, Germany 2010, p. 36
the location was a baroque hunting lodge at the Moritzburg Ponds a few miles from Dresden
1905 - 1915
As quoted in The 48 Laws of Power (2000) by Robert Greene, p. 33
“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).
Diary of an Unknown (1988)
“The test of a real comedian is whether you laugh at him before he opens his mouth.”
Source: "Test of a Comedian", The American Mercury (September 1929)