The Old Ways

Egyptian · Maxims of Ptahhotep · 12 of 23

On Speech

Battiscombe Gunn, 1906

Do not repeat slander; thou shouldst not even listen to it, for it is the result of hot temper. Say what thou hast seen with thine own eyes, not what thou hast heard through another's mouth. The tale-bearer is one whose name is hated of all men. The tale born of hearsay is a lamp lit with false fire; it shines only to lead men astray.