“Do not be eager to speak before you have considered what you are to say.”
— Thales of MiletusTraditional anthology saying attributed to Thales; approximate English rendering, source not confirmed
Commentary
This counsel, attributed to Thales in later collections, recommends deliberation before speech, a theme that runs through the moral sayings of the sages and reappears in the wisdom literature of several cultures. The emphasis on careful speech reflects the value Greek civic life placed on measured argument. A. A. Long notes that such advice was a standard part of the sages' pedagogy, and that its attribution to a single figure is traditional. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield observe that sayings of this kind were compiled over centuries and cannot be dated with confidence. Charles Kahn suggests that the emphasis on deliberation may reflect the public life of Ionian cities. Jonathan Barnes cautions that the saying should be labelled as a traditional attribution. The English is approximate, and the Greek should be checked before any quotation.
Commentary
This counsel, attributed to Thales in later collections, recommends deliberation before speech, a theme that runs through the moral sayings of the sages and reappears in the wisdom literature of several cultures. The emphasis on careful speech reflects the value Greek civic life placed on measured argument. A. A. Long notes that such advice was a standard part of the sages' pedagogy, and that its attribution to a single figure is traditional. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield observe that sayings of this kind were compiled over centuries and cannot be dated with confidence. Charles Kahn suggests that the emphasis on deliberation may reflect the public life of Ionian cities. Jonathan Barnes cautions that the saying should be labelled as a traditional attribution. The English is approximate, and the Greek should be checked before any quotation.