Few words are best.
Meaning: Silence demonstrates wisdom; excessive talk reveals ignorance and wastes others' time.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Communication
- Wranglers never want words. — Quarrelsome people exhaust themselves through constant conflict rather than resolving dis…
- The pen is mightier than the sword — Writing and ideas have more influence than violence.
- Silence is golden — Sometimes it's better to say nothing.
- Actions speak louder than words — What you do matters more than what you say.
- Empty vessels make the most noise — Those who know the least often talk the most.
- Still waters run deep — Quiet people often have great depth of character.
From our tongue twisters
- Apelle figlio di Apollo fece una palla di pelle di pollo e tutti i principi della città di Capua la palpeggiarono. — A wall of 'p/ll/l/a' that seems to grow longer as you speak it faster.
- Se la serpe si avvicina alla siepe del serpente, il serpente scappa dalla siepe. — A sibilant 's/se/si/sci' minefield; both words (serpe and serpente) slither through the s…
- Chi è Ciccio Capece? Ciccio Capece è un capocaccia che caccia con la cacciaballa. — A 'c/ci/ccia' onslaught — Italian's hard and soft c in the same sentence, non-stop.