Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 222–230 these words for Queen Gertrude: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”. That statement has been twisted and turned to be used many ways to make the point that those who talk too much can end up being thought of as trying too hard to make a point, or full of themselves, or trying to weave and spin a story to cover a lie. Or sometimes, all of the above. I have always been cautious of the person who “goes on and on” as I have found that many words can spill lots of beans and just create more drama and worry than is necessary. Not to mention, that I remember as a kid when I would try and spin a story to my parents to cover myself I would make the story bigger and bigger thinking that they would think “if all of that happenned, “it must be true”. I just assumed that my parents never read Shakespeare. 🙂 So, we should be cautious of others and also cautious of ourselves with the number of words we use to make a point if we want gain the highest credibility and respect. The Bible states this also in Proverbs 17:27: “A truly wise person uses few words…”. As we go through the work day and we strive for efficiency, productivity and clarity in our work and purpose, we should take measure of this passage. Those that are wise learn to use few words. By default that means that they also listen since they aren’t talking. The instructions guide for wisdom that we find in Proverbs is chocked full. Starting now to pick, choose and limit our words will put us on that wisdom path and as we know, everyone respects those who are wise.

Reference: Proverbs 17:27 (New Living Testament)