ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY; 'When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.' ..... Robert Greene.
In the book, we see as usual two cases illustrating the transgression and observance of the law. The case illustrating the transgression of the law is the story of Gnaeus Marcius also known as Coriolanus. He was a great military hero of ancient Rome. People held him in awe, until he opened his mouth. He spoke his mind, hardly able to control his arrogance and boastfulness. He slandered and insulted people. The more speeches he made, the less people respected him. He suffered the people’s wrath and was eventually banished from the city.
In illustrating the observance of the law, we saw the story of masters of enigma; Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp. They knew the power of saying less and keeping people guessing. The less Duchamp talked about his work, the more it was talked about in the art circles. Andy Warhol recognized it was hard to talk people into doing what you wanted, so when interviewed, he would give vague and ambiguous answers and let the interviewer find his own interpretation. Also is the story of King Louis XIV who will sit quietly among nobles and ministers for days listening to arguments and analysis at his court. Louis will listen in silence wearing an enigmatic look on his face. When his nobles and minister are done with their presentations, on asking to know his opinion, he answers;"I shall see" and walk away.
The saying that goes thus; 'silence is good' is a reality. The human mind is often times preoccupied with so many unresolved issues, strategies, solutions, observations etc, this state in which the mind finds itself often demand calmness for good reasoning to ensue. Also, there is utmost need to engage more in listening than in talking all the time. We expose ourselves unnecessarily when we talk more than listening. Being silent and doing more of listening results in good reasoning that produces the best possible solutions to challenges.
These nuggets of wisdom can be of help:
In illustrating the observance of the law, we saw the story of masters of enigma; Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp. They knew the power of saying less and keeping people guessing. The less Duchamp talked about his work, the more it was talked about in the art circles. Andy Warhol recognized it was hard to talk people into doing what you wanted, so when interviewed, he would give vague and ambiguous answers and let the interviewer find his own interpretation. Also is the story of King Louis XIV who will sit quietly among nobles and ministers for days listening to arguments and analysis at his court. Louis will listen in silence wearing an enigmatic look on his face. When his nobles and minister are done with their presentations, on asking to know his opinion, he answers;"I shall see" and walk away.
The saying that goes thus; 'silence is good' is a reality. The human mind is often times preoccupied with so many unresolved issues, strategies, solutions, observations etc, this state in which the mind finds itself often demand calmness for good reasoning to ensue. Also, there is utmost need to engage more in listening than in talking all the time. We expose ourselves unnecessarily when we talk more than listening. Being silent and doing more of listening results in good reasoning that produces the best possible solutions to challenges.
These nuggets of wisdom can be of help:
- Saying less will keep you from saying something foolish or even dangerous.
- Once the words are out you cannot take them back.
- Keeping silent makes people reveal more about themselves. This is information you may be able to use against them later on.
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