In the book “Seeking Wisdom“, author Peter Bevelin talks about the misjudgement of “say-something syndrome”, which he describes as:
“…feeling a need to say something when we have nothing to say”
George Eliot put it similarly, saying:
“Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.”
If you have nothing worth sharing on a particular topic, then don’t share it. We all know people that need to make their voice heard, even on topics with which they have no value to contribute.
It’s similar the ideas of “we have to do something about it“. If people see a problem, then they will often rush to “do something”, even if doing nothing is the better course of action.
People that talk all the time may indeed have good things to share, but it can be tough to separate the wheat from the chaff. I much prefer people that are frequently quiet, because when they take the time to speak up you know they’re worth listening to.
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