SILENCE IS GOLDEN
Proverbs
17:27-28
A man
of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is
even-tempered. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning
if he holds his tongue.
President Calvin Coolidge,
the thirtieth president of the United States, was a reserved man who spoke very
little. A reporter attempted to interview him, and the conversation went as
follows:
Reporter: Do you wish to say
anything about the war threat in Europe?
Coolidge: No.
Reporter: About the strike
in the clothing factories?
Coolidge: No.
Reporter: About the League
of Nations?
Coolidge: No.
Reporter: About the farm
production problem?
Coolidge: No.
As the reporter began to
leave the room, Coolidge unexpectedly called him back and said, “Don’t quote
me.”
Never let yourself feel
pressured into saying something you don’t want to say, or into saying something
when you don’t feel like talking. Silence is not a “lack” of communication. It
is a form of communication, and it can be a very effective one at that. Never
pass up a chance to keep your mouth shut.
God’s Little Devotional Book. pg. 202-203.
