December 16

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips, that they speak no guile.—Ps. xxxiv, 13.

Govern thy lips

As they were palace-doors, the king within;

Tranquil and fair and courteous be all words

Which from that presence win.

EDWIN ARNOLD.

I think the first virtue is to restrain the tongue: he approaches nearest to the gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right.

CATO.

A judicious reticence is hard to learn, but it is one of the great lessons of life.

LORD CHESTERFIELD.

We are commanded to beware of idle speaking: beware we also of things which foster it—idle hearing and idle seeing, and knowledge of idle things.

E. B. PUSEY.