“A prudent silence will frequently be taken for wisdom and a sentence or two cautiously thrown in will sometimes gain the palm of knowledge, while a man well informed but indiscreet and unreserved will not uncommonly talk himself out of all consideration and weight. (Alexander Hamilton's 'thesis on discretion' written to his son James shortly before his fatal duel with Burr.)”

Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow - “A prudent silence will frequently be...” 1

Similar quotes

“It is an undeniable privilege of every man to prove himself right in the thesis that the world is his enemy; for if he reiterates it frequently enough and makes it the background of his conduct he is bound eventually to be right.”

George Kennan
Read more

“Lehi, in counseling his son Jacob, makes a very challenging statement: “All things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.” (2 Ne. 2:24.) If I interpret this statement correctly, it means that one’s wisdom is proportionate to his knowledge. This being so, how insignificant is the wisdom of man, which is based upon his limited mortal experience, when compared with the wisdom of God, which is based upon his knowledge of all things.”

Marion G. Romney
Read more

“Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all.”

Arthur C. Clarke
Read more

“The angel is free because of his knowledge, the beast because of his ignorance. Between the two remains the son of man to struggle.”

Rumi
Read more

“It is vital to remember that information-- in the sense of raw data-- is not knowledge, that knowledge is not wisdom, and that wisdom is not foresight. But information is the first essential step to all of these.”

Arthur C. Clarke
Read more