ProverbCommunicationSpanish origin

He who talks much errs much

Meaning: The more you speak, the more likely you are to make mistakes or say the wrong thing.

Origin: The best-documented form is Spanish, quien mucho habla, mucho yerra, already collected in the medieval Libro de buen amor. It echoes Proverbs 10:19, which warns that in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin. It is sometimes labeled an African proverb, but the Spanish and biblical sources are the ones on record.

Equivalents in Spanish

  • Spanish: Quien mucho habla, mucho yerra (literally: He who talks much errs much)

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