Listen More and Talk Less

Posted on October 11, 2025 by mitchteemley

“Let everyone be swift to listen, and slow to speak.” ~James 1:19

“For it is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt.” ~Maurice Switzer

“Silence is the language of God,
all else is poor translation.”
~Rumi

∴

About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
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40 Responses to Listen More and Talk Less

  1. Ernest Prabhakar says:
    October 11, 2025 at 11:51 am

    My motto is: better to open your mouth and find out you’re the fool, then stay silent and think everyone else is. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Freya Pickard says:
    October 11, 2025 at 11:52 am

    I agree with this wholeheartedly. Since my experiences in 2014, I am slow to speak and won’t make conversation for the sake of it. I only speak if I have something worth saying. It really annoys chatterboxes who don’t like silence, but I feel happier in myself!

    Reply
  4. L.G. says:
    October 11, 2025 at 12:30 pm

    Yes to posr

    Reply
  5. Gerry Palermo says:
    October 11, 2025 at 12:59 pm

    Nice ears. I ear you.

    Reply
  6. Victoria says:
    October 11, 2025 at 1:41 pm

    Words to live by! 💝

    Reply
  7. Terry says:
    October 11, 2025 at 2:33 pm

    The best advice anywhere!

    Reply
  8. Madeline Bialecki says:
    October 11, 2025 at 2:41 pm

    One of my elementary school walls had a poster of the “better to remain silent…” quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

    Reply
  10. Ezekiel Fish says:
    October 11, 2025 at 4:41 pm

    Wise words.

    Reply
  11. Darryl B says:
    October 11, 2025 at 5:12 pm

    Mitch, I have been learning this more and more. And especially in contentious situations like buying a used car… silence is power! Great post 😎👏

    Reply
  12. emosobriety says:
    October 11, 2025 at 5:42 pm

    Great advice for a noisy, chatty, and opinionated world.

    Reply
  13. bruce@ssa says:
    October 11, 2025 at 9:16 pm

    Mitch, from one of my daily devotional books…”The trouble with the guy who talks too fast is that he often says something he hasn’t thought of yet.”

    Reply
  14. Emma says:
    October 12, 2025 at 4:37 am

    There’s a reason we have two ears and one mouth!

    Reply
  15. Nusrat Khan says:
    October 12, 2025 at 4:52 am

    Two ears to listen 👂👂
    And a mouth to speak
    2:1
    And we have a proverb in our local language which translates to
    Silence itself is Silver
    If you practice it, it is Gold

    Reply
  16. Chris G Thelen says:
    October 12, 2025 at 8:07 am

    Great post, Mitch. Years ago my job required me to handle complaints for a utility. I often had to meet the person onsite. Many times the person was so angry that they spewed angry words at me for 10-15 minutes. I discovered if I just listened they would calm down after they vented and we would have a productive conversation.

    Reply
  17. Phil Huston says:
    October 12, 2025 at 12:27 pm

    Never forget we were born with two ears and one mouth. And yet often we retaliate instead of processing what we hear…

    Reply
  18. proverbs27flocks says:
    October 13, 2025 at 10:37 am

    This reminds me of two scriptures:
    Proverbs 17:28 “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
    Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”
    I try to remember this every time I think about opening my mouth.
    I don’t want to insert my foot.

    Reply

  20. Pingback: Listen More and Talk Less – QuietMomentsWithGod

  21. Bronlima says:
    October 16, 2025 at 9:35 pm

    That is good advi……………………… .

    Reply
  22. Karen :) says:
    October 17, 2025 at 9:42 pm

    Thank you, Mitch. I have the quote, “The quieter you become, the more you can hear,” (Baba Ram Dass) on our bathroom wall. These are good reminders!

    Reply
  23. Mr. Ohh's Sideways View says:
    October 18, 2025 at 4:51 pm

    Great quotes. One of my favorites is “A wise man can speak volumes with no words at all” 🤣😎🙃

    Reply
  24. 000,000,000'Shine says:
    October 26, 2025 at 8:38 am

    Silence is the best teacher . . .

    Reply

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  26. AmericaOnCoffee says:
    November 11, 2025 at 5:48 am

    Wisdom is powerful.. An enlightening share!

    Reply

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