487. Rules for Speech

Do not Swear or Blaspheme.
Do not Lie.
Never Cover up for another.

It saves a huge amount of time and energy if you have a rule that simply says that you never lie swear or cover up. That way, your decisions about what you will say have already been made for you.

This should not stop you from being careful, economical, if you will, with the truth. It is a powerful thing and not everyone is entitled to the whole truth. If you are ever asked a direct question, you must tell the truth but you don't have to go out of your way to get someone into trouble or give away too much information.

138. Lord Chesterfield's Advice to His Son

This piece of writing was the original inspiration for me to write this work. It is a little dated now but the advice is still sound. Here is what he has to say :

Talk often but never long.
Adapt your conversation to the people with whom you are conversing.
Tell stories seldom, and absolutely never but where they are very apt and vert short. Never hold anybody by the button or by the hand in order to be heard out.
Avoid in mixed companies argumentative conversation.
Avoid speaking of yourself.
Always look people in the face when you speak to them.
Mimicry, neither practice it yourself nor applaud it in others.
Swearing is as silly and as illiberal as it is wicked.
Have a frank open and ingenious exterior with a prudent and reserved interior.

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