(enough said)
Too Much Talking Lowers Intelligence
Sophia: Friends, let us reflect on speech, feeling, and the intelligence of restraint. Luis, you once said, “In love it does not matter what you say, but what you feel. In poetry it does not matter what you feel, but what you say.” How do words and feeling interplay in the pursuit of wisdom?
Góngora: Sophia, feeling is the foundation, but expression is the architecture. Love without expression may remain hidden; poetry without true craft is empty. Words must be chosen to convey the essence, not merely fill space.
In love it does not matter what you say, but what you feel. In poetry it does not matter what you feel, but what you say.
— Luis de Góngora (1561-1627)
Colton: And sometimes, Sophia, silence is the wisest choice. When you have nothing to say, say nothing. Excess chatter diminishes thought; it diffuses intelligence into noise.
Tennyson: Yet there is courage in expression. I hold it true, whate’er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. To act, to feel, and to speak thoughtfully even at risk — that is the human condition.
When you have nothing to say, say nothing.
— Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832)
Ruskin: And the quality of expression reflects the effort behind it. Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort. Thoughtful words, measured speech, and careful creation are marks of both intelligence and virtue.
Sophia: So we see a balance: feeling must precede expression; silence must temper idle speech; effort must shape words; courage must allow truth to be spoken. Too much talking without reflection lowers intelligence, but measured, meaningful speech elevates both mind and heart.
I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.
— Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)
Góngora: Precisely. Let every word be intentional, every silence purposeful.
Colton: And let the tongue rest when wisdom has nothing to offer.
Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.
— John Ruskin (1819-1900)
Tennyson: But do not fear the heart’s truth; it must be voiced, even if loss follows.
Ruskin: For it is effort and discernment that transform mere utterance into lasting insight.
Sophia: Then the lesson is clear: speak with feeling, act with courage, labor with intelligence, and know when silence is wiser than speech. In this harmony lies true wisdom.
They sit in a quiet garden, the rustle of leaves punctuating their reflections, a reminder that the mind thrives as much in silence as in measured expression.
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