Anybody who thinks talk is cheap never argued with a traffic cop.
Not to speak ill requires only silence.
It takes a child two years to learn to talk—it takes a man all his life to learn how to keep his mouth shut.
A bit of love is the only bit that will put a bridle on the tongue.
It would be better to leave people wondering why you didn’t talk than why you did.
Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind to express itself forcefully.
A tart temper never mellows with age; and a sharp tongue is the only sharp-edged tool that grows keener with constant use.
If you wouldn’t write it and sign it, don’t say it.
What isn’t said can’t come back to hurt.
Wise men think without talking; fools talk without thinking.
Silent gratitude is ingratitude.
Man’s ears aren’t made to shut, but his mouth is.
By saying little, some people acquire a reputation for knowing considerable.
There are times when to say anything is to say the wrong thing.
Most people will agree with you if you just keep quiet.
No mechanical device builds up momentum quite as fast as the human tongue.
Temper often causes a man to speak his mind when he ought to be minding his speech.
By examining the tongue of a patient, physicians find out the diseases of the body and philosophers the diseases of the mind.
If you have to lose your head, at least hold your tongue.
It is usually the person with a big mouth that bites off more than he can chew.
By remaining silent you will win many arguments.
It is said the average person speaks eleven million words yearly—one-half of these are I, my, and mine.
One’s heart cannot be pure whose tongue is not clean.
To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue.
Some people are cats—they lick themselves with their own tongues.
It’s strange how so many people with closed minds are not able to keep their mouths shut.
A sharp tongue is no indication of a keen mind.
Lots of things are opened by mistake, but none so often as the mouth.
Long tongues will mean short friends.
Wisdom is knowing when to speak your mind and when to mind your speech.
Give your tongue more rest than your eyes or ears.
The world’s most dangerous point—the tip of the tongue.
A paradox is a truth that bites its own tale.
Even a fish would stay out of trouble if he kept his mouth shut.
As a man grows older and wiser, he talks less and says more.
Think twice before you speak; and it will do no harm if you keep thinking while you speak.
If exercise makes you thin, how come there are so many people with double chins?
Your day goes the same way the corners of your mouth turn.
There’s danger ahead when you throw your tongue into high gear before you get your brains going.
It is much easier for some people to say what they think than to tell what they know.
Everything that can be said can be said clearly.
The first thing some people do in the morning is to brush their teeth and sharpen their tongue.
It is impossible to keep your mind and mouth open at the same time.
Watch your tongue—horse sense is seldom hitched to a waggin’ tongue.
Keeping your chin up also keeps your mouth closed.
I regret often that I have spoken; never that I have been silent.
A wise person is known for what he didn’t say.
If your friends misquote you, think how much worse it might have been had they quoted you correctly.
Some people don’t think before they speak–nor afterwards.
To reply to an evil word by another taunt is like trying to clean off dirt with mud.
Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff and nudge me when I’ve said enough.
Idle tongues can soon become busy tongues.
A person with a thick head always makes thin conversation.
A loose tongue can get into tight places.
Better to have clean hands and a pure heart than to have clever hands and a smooth tongue.
The most untamable thing in the world has its den just behind the teeth.
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Speak when you are angry and it’ll be the best speech you will ever regret.
A narrow mind and a wide mouth usually go together.
God gave man two ears and one mouth; he made the ears to always remain open, but the mouth to close.
There is a difference between free speech and cheap talk.
Two times you should keep your mouth shut–when you are swimming and when you are angry.
Speaking without thinking is like shooting without aiming.
Most people can talk by the time they are two but never learn when not to talk.
Speech is the mirror of the soul–as man speaks, so is he.
The best way to save face is to keep the lower part closed.
Think twice before you speak if you intend to say what you think.
Use your head, but don’t concentrate on the part that eats, drinks, and talks too much.
A person who has nothing to says spends a whole life in saying it.
What this country needs is more free speech worth listening to.
Some people talk so fast that they say things that they have not even thought.
Usually the first screw that gets loose in one’s head is the one that controls the tongue.
What should not be heard by little ears should not be said by big mouths.
If you are not sure you are right, keep your mouth shut.
When you get into deep water, keep your mouth shut.
You can usually dodge a question with a long-winded answer.
Every time you open your mouth, you show what’s in your heart.
More quarrels are smothered by just shutting one’s mouth and holding it shut than by all the wisdom in the world.
Nature did not make your ears so they could be shut but did a perfect job on your mouth.
The teeth should be trained to bite the tongue when it talks too much.
The average person can do more harm with his tongue than with a gun.
One minute of keeping your mouth shut may be worth an hour of explanations.
The world needs more open minds and less open mouths.
A bridle for the tongue is an excellent harness.
Some people speak from experience. Others, from experience, don’t speak.
Those who jump to conclusions may land with a foot in their mouth.
He who thinks twice before he speaks says only half as much.
If there’s anything we can’t stand, it’s people who talk while we’re interrupting.
A man of words and not deeds is like a garden full of weeds.
A sharp tongue will cut your throat.
The secret of being tiresome is to tell everything.
To enjoy music, keep your ears open–to allow others to enjoy it, keep your mouth shut.
Some people never get interested in anything until it is none of their business.
Giving advice does not qualify as charity.
Not every question deserves an answer.
Tongue control requires attention to five things: to whom you speak, of whom you speak, and how and when and where.
The trouble with telling a good story is that it reminds the other fellow of a dull one.
A lot of people wouldn’t speak much if they were the only listener.
If people spoke only when they had something worthwhile to say, the world would be very quiet.
It takes a wise person to know what not to say–and then not to say it.
Often the narrower the mind, the wider the mouth.
Some try to prove themselves to be right by being loud.
The two important muscles that operate the direction of the brain are the heart and the tongue.
Often those who speak less on earth are best known in heaven.
Some people say more by being quiet than those who talk all the time.
If you keep your mouth shut, you can’t be misquoted.
Silence is an excellent remedy against anger.
No one has to explain something he hasn’t said.
If you are sure you are right–keep your mouth shut.
Think twice before saying an unkind word–then don’t say it.
Some of the best preaching is done by holding your tongue.
The ability to speak several languages is valuable, but the art of keeping silent is one most precious.
Think before you speak–silent sense is better than fluent folly.
When two quarrel, there’s two in the wrong.
If you take pleasure in criticism, it’s time to hold your tongue.
One of the most important ingredients in a recipe for speech making is plenty of shortening.
We cannot control the evil tongues of others, but a good life enables us to disregard them.
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Wise men are not always silent, but they sure know when to be.
Talk is cheap because the supply is always greater than the demand.
It is better to let your foot slip than your tongue.
It’s amazing how long some people can talk without mentioning what they’re talking about.
A sharp tongue and a dull mind are usually found in the same head.
To say little and perform much is the characteristic of a great mind.
A person with a closed mind can get by nicely if he keeps his mouth closed too.
The other side of freedom of speech is knowing when to keep your mouth shut.
Words break no bones, but they do break hearts.
A wise man is known by the things he doesn’t say.
Silence is one of the great acts of conversation.
The only substitute for brains is silence.
Wisdom is divided into two parts–having a great deal to say, and not saying it.
Because the tongue is wet, it sometimes slips.
Only rarely it is worth it to tell a man what you think.
He who talks without thinking runs more risks than he who thinks without talking.
Some people know how to say nothing but not when.
A slip of the foot, you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
The art of eloquence is to know when to keep still.
Freedom not to listen is sometimes even more precious than the right of freedom of speech.
What isn’t said can’t come back to hurt.
The folks who know the least often know it the loudest.
The only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them.
A wise man has something to say; a fool has to say something.
Let your speech be better than silence, or be silent.
“Opened by mistake” applies more often to mouths than it does the mail.
