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Isocrates. Make two occasions for speaking: either concerning things you know clearly, or concerning things it is necessary to say. For only in these is speech better than silence; but in all others, it is better to be silent than to speak.

Another, from Arist. Of a base man, just as of a silent dog, one must be wary of his silence, or his voice.

Theophrastus. Theophrastus the Peripatetic philosopher, seeing a certain youth keeping quiet at a symposium, said: If you are uneducated and are silent, you are educated; but if you are educated, you are uneducatedly silent.

Chares. Especially everywhere try to control your tongue, For what brings honor to old and young, is the tongue possessing a timely silence. Hieron. He thought that those who divulge a secret word do wrong, and also to those to whom they divulge it.

For we hate not only those who have blabbed, but also those who have heard what we do not wish.

Of Pittacus. What you are about to do, do not say; for if you fail, you will be laughed at.

Sophocles. But whenever someone is discovered openly stealing, it is necessary to be silent, even if he has a fine mouth. For shame in evil deeds is of no help. For silence is an ally to the one who speaks. Xenocrates. Xenocrates, dividing each part of the day for a certain action, and to

silence he assigned a part.

Alexander. Whoever, having received words as a deposit, has spoken them out, is unjust, or exceedingly incontinent; The one for the sake of gain is unjust; the one without this, is incontinent; but perhaps both are evil. Of Lycurgus. He, to the one who said, 'Why do the Lacedaemonians practice brevity of speech'

practice?', said, 'Because it is close to being silent.'

Of Philonides. It is better to be silent than to speak in vain.

Democritus. Seeing someone discoursing on many things, but uneducated things, 'This man,' he said, 'seems to me not able to speak, but unable to be silent.'

Solon. Seal your words with silence; and your silence, with opportunity.

Of Simonides. One must either have a timely silence, or a useful speech.

Demosthenes. He said that he never regretted having been silent; but having spoken, often.

(849) When someone reproached him, because he had a bad-smelling mouth; 'For,' he said, 'many secrets have rotted in it.'

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Ἰσοκράτ. ∆ύο ποιοῦ καιρούς τοῦ λεγειν, ἤ περί ὧν οἶσθα σαφῶς, ἤ περί ὧν ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Ἐν τούτοις γάρ μόνοις ὁ λόγος τῆς σιγῆς κρείττων· ἐν δέ τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἄμεινον σιγᾷν ἤ λέγειν.

Ἄλλ. Ἀριστ. Φαύλου ἀνδρός, καθάπερ κυνός σιγηροῦ δεῖ τήν σιγήν, ἤ τήν φωνήν εὐλαβεῖσθαι.

Θεόφραστ. Θεόφραστος ὁ Περιπατητικός φιλόσοφος, ἐν συμποσίῳ νεανίσκον τινά βλέπων ἡσυχίαν ἔχοντα, εἶπεν· Εἰ μέν ἀπαίδευτος ὤν σιωπᾷς, πεπαιδευμένος ὑπάρχεις· εἰ δέ πεπαιδευμένος, ἀπαιδεύτως σιωπᾷς.

Χάρητ. Γλώσσης μάλιστα πανταχοῦ πειρῶ κρατεῖν, Ὅ γάρ γέροντι καί νέῳ τιμήν φέρει, Ἡ γλῶσσα, σιγήν καιρίαν κεκτημένη. Ἱέρων. Τούς ἀπόῤῥητον λόγον ἐκφέροντες ἀδικεῖν ᾤετο, καί πρός οὕς ἐκφέρουσιν.

Μισοῦμεν γάρ οὐ μόνον τούς ἐκλαλήσαντας, ἀλλά καί τούς ἀκούσαντας, ἅ μή βουλόμεθα.

Πιττακοῦ. Ὅ μέλλεις ποιεῖν, μή λέγε· ἀποτυχών γάρ γελασθήσῃ.

Σοφοκλ. Κλέπτων δ᾿ ὅταν τις ἐμφανῶς ἐφευρεθῇ, Σιγᾷν ἀνάγκη, κἄν καλόν φέρῃ στόμα. Αἰδώς γάρ ἐν κακοῖσιν οὐδέν ὠφελεῖ. Ἡ γάρ σιωπή τῷ λαλοῦντι σύμμαχος. Ξενοκράτ. Ξενοκράτης διαιρῶν ἕκαστον μέρος τῆς ἡμέρας εἰς πρᾶξίν τινα, καί τῇ

σιωπῇ μέρος ἀπένειμεν.

Ἀλεξάνδρ. Ὅστις λόγους παρακαταθήκην λαβών Ἐξεῖπεν, ἄδικός ἐστι, ἤ ἀκροατής ἄγαν· Ὁ μέν διά κέρδος, ἄδικος· ὁ δέ τούτου δίχα, Ἀκροατής· ἴσως δέ γ᾿ εἰσίν ἀμφότεροι κακοί. Λυκούργου. Οὗτος πρός τόν εἰπόντα, ∆ιατί Λακεδαιμόνιοι τήν βραχυλογίαν

ἀσκοῦσιν; εἶπεν, Ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστι τοῦ σιγᾷν.

Φιλονίδου. Κρεῖττον σιωπᾷν ἐστιν, ἤ λαλεῖν μάτην.

∆ημοκρ. Θεασάμενός τινα, πολλά μέν, ἀπαίδευτα δέ διαλεγόμενον, Οὗτος, ἔφη οὐ έγειν μοι δοκεῖ δυνατός, ἀλλά σιωπᾷν ἀδύνατος.

Σόλων. Σφραγίζου, τούς μέν λόγους, σιγῆ· τήν δέ σιγήν, καιρῷ.

Σιμωνίδου. Ἤ σιγήν καίριον ἔχειν δεῖ, ἤ λόγον ὠφέλιμον.

∆ημοσθ. Οὗτος μηδέποτε ἑαυτῷ ἔλεγε μεταμελῆσαι σιγήσαντι· φθεγξαμένῳ δέ, πολλάκις.

(849) Ὀνειδίζοντος αὐτῷ τινος, ὅτι τό στόμα δυσῶδες εἶχε· Πολλά γάρ, εἶπεν, αὐτῷ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἐγκατεσάπῃ.