Bill Clinton was a very, very good speaker. But like many people who are great speakers and great thinkers and have a lot of energy and ambition, he talked too much.
If any man think it a small matter, or of mean concernment, to bridle his tongue, he is much mistaken; for it is a point to be silent when occasion requires, and better than to speak, though never so well.
I'm not one of those people who believes in going endlessly around finger wagging and ticking people off for occasional colourful use of language.
For God's sake, have some self-respect and do not run off at the mouth if your brain is out to lunch.
...slow down and self-edit and ask yourself the three things you must always ask yourself before you say anything: "Does this need to be said?" "Does this need to be said by me?" "Does this need to be said by me now?"
Bind up thy words that they run not riot, and grow wanton, and gather up sins for themselves in too much talking. Let them be rather confined, and held back within their own banks. An overflowing river quickly gathers mud.
Beware of the anger of the mouth. Master your words. Let them serve truth.
There are many men whose tongues might govern multitudes if they could govern their tongues.
Don't you DARE use party as a verb in my shop
The human tongue is a beast that few can master.
I've had to work on being a slow talker.
Let there be a door to thy mouth, that it may be shut when need arises, and let it be carefully barred, that none may rouse thy voice to anger, and thou pay back abuse with abuse.
I need to control my mouth.
Surely human affairs would be far happier if the power in men to be silent were the same as that to speak. But experience more than sufficiently teaches that men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues.
I don't say any word that I don't approve.
I don't use coarse language very often. I have a larger vocabulary than that.
Everyone has freedom to say whatever they want to say. I think it takes a stronger person to hold their tongue as opposed to speaking out.
Men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues, and can moderate their desires more than their words.
Be not thy tongue thy own shame's orator.
He never labored so hard to learn a language as he did to hold his tongue, and it affected him for life. The habit of reticence — of talking without meaning — is never effaced.
Learning how to discipline your speech is a way of preventing your energies from spilling out of you through the rupture of your mouth, exhausting you and filling the world with words, words, words instead of serenity, peace and bliss.
