“An open mind and a closed mouth work better than the opposites.” (Purple Clover) – as seen on the Jack’s Winning Words blog.
Too many Donald Trump is the epitome of the opposite that is referenced above, with a mouth that is seldom closed and a mind that certainly appears not to be open. He’s obviously an intelligent person; although seemingly ignorant or intolerant to the feelings and needs of those who don’t fit into his somewhat narrow and bigoted view of the world. While he uses the term “deal” quite a bit, I don’t think I’ve heard him use the word “compromise” at all.
Today’s saying seems t also work well with another saying about opening you r mouth – “engage brain before opening mouth”, which is EBBOM in Internet slang. Both offer good advice which is all too often ignored. Unfortunately even engaging your brain if it is
working off a perverted or bigoted knowledge base, won’t prevent you from blurting out things that are hurtful or which you may wish later that you had not said.
Having an open mind does not necessarily mean that you agree with or accept whatever comes your way; however, it does require that you at least give those things the courtesy of a good, non-biased look before making your decision on how to react. Many times the best decision may still be to keep your mouth closed, rather than express the conclusion or position that you have reached, once you have considered things. Perhaps just saying nothing is the best course, when whatever you might say would express a non-favorable judgement. That’s sort of the live and let live approach to things.
There is one final saying that best sums up the strategy of keeping your mouth shut – “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.” – Unknown. I doubt that most will think you to be a fool if you don’t open your mouth and say something stupid. I’ve known quite a few people who weren’t big talkers and the thing that was most often said about them is that they were very private and kept their thoughts and opinions to themselves. That’s not all bad and certainly better than being known as a loud-mouthed blowhard.
So, think before you speak and if have nothing to say then don’t say it. We’ll all enjoy that moment of silence.
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