There is a time to speak as well as to be silent.
Meaning: Knowing when to withhold words proves as valuable as knowing when to voice them.
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
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- Speak fair and think what you will. — Private thoughts remain free even when public words must be diplomatic and measured.
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