11-13-2022, 06:08 PM -
Hey Josh...
Since you mentioned Lincoln as a possible ascription for the quote ... "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.", and I mentioned that I thought it sounded like a Mark Twain quote, but truly had not considered the origin of the quote, at least in depth, I decided to do some research. There are some very solid sources in today's information world that take the time and have the historical provenance and copies of historical material.
So after several hours of work at a local university library (I was there already for a different purpose..), here is what I have discovered. I NOW believe that the quote does NOT belong to Lincoln, nor does it belong to Twain. As a different quote mentions, "Time waits for no man", which incidentally is not the original version of that quote either, I believe that "time" has the effect of often changing the exact wording, without changing the reasoning or meaning.
So, I will offer this..... The original quote "It is better to remain silent..." is a possible blend of a quote from MANY years ago (many, MANY years ago..)... In it's present form (as quoted in post #40), the earliest usage I've found was in a book by Maurice Switzer with a copyright date of 1906. The book entitled "Mrs Goose, Her Book" was a collection of witty, clever, maybe a little comedic writing. The exact wording was slightly different (see my note about time..), but certainly the quote was a version of the same ..."It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it". The earliest usage ascribed to Lincoln was in 1931 according to the Yale Book of Quotations, and the earliest mention of Twain was after that. SO...If you go by current chronology, the quote belongs to Maurice Switzer around 1906. There is no evidence of that quote being used before that date. That is not saying that Lincoln or Twain never used that quote. Just that there is no evidence of either one using it.
Here's the interesting stuff.... Prior to the 1906 date, there were several mentions of similar quotes that could have been the genesis for this one. In 1893 a NY newspaper printed a quote that was ascribed to a St. Francis de Sales. That quote was "It is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humoredly, and spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce."
In 1887 there was a "collection" of sayings that mentioned several proverbs recommending "silence" such as.... "Silence is the virtue of those who are not wise." .... And "Silence is wisdom when speaking is folly."
Now, lets go way back to the Holy Bible (where else..??). In Proverbs 17:28.
The NIV bible says... "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."
The KJV bible says... "Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise: And he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."
So..... It would appear that the original quote as mentioned here was 'coined' around 1906, or at least that is the first 'record' of it being used. It's possible, of course, that it was in use before that but no known mention of it occurred in written form that I can find. But, ... It's most likely derived from proverbs of a MUCH earlier time period, and probably was a biblical derivation.
Since you mentioned Lincoln as a possible ascription for the quote ... "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.", and I mentioned that I thought it sounded like a Mark Twain quote, but truly had not considered the origin of the quote, at least in depth, I decided to do some research. There are some very solid sources in today's information world that take the time and have the historical provenance and copies of historical material.
So after several hours of work at a local university library (I was there already for a different purpose..), here is what I have discovered. I NOW believe that the quote does NOT belong to Lincoln, nor does it belong to Twain. As a different quote mentions, "Time waits for no man", which incidentally is not the original version of that quote either, I believe that "time" has the effect of often changing the exact wording, without changing the reasoning or meaning.
So, I will offer this..... The original quote "It is better to remain silent..." is a possible blend of a quote from MANY years ago (many, MANY years ago..)... In it's present form (as quoted in post #40), the earliest usage I've found was in a book by Maurice Switzer with a copyright date of 1906. The book entitled "Mrs Goose, Her Book" was a collection of witty, clever, maybe a little comedic writing. The exact wording was slightly different (see my note about time..), but certainly the quote was a version of the same ..."It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it". The earliest usage ascribed to Lincoln was in 1931 according to the Yale Book of Quotations, and the earliest mention of Twain was after that. SO...If you go by current chronology, the quote belongs to Maurice Switzer around 1906. There is no evidence of that quote being used before that date. That is not saying that Lincoln or Twain never used that quote. Just that there is no evidence of either one using it.
Here's the interesting stuff.... Prior to the 1906 date, there were several mentions of similar quotes that could have been the genesis for this one. In 1893 a NY newspaper printed a quote that was ascribed to a St. Francis de Sales. That quote was "It is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humoredly, and spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce."
In 1887 there was a "collection" of sayings that mentioned several proverbs recommending "silence" such as.... "Silence is the virtue of those who are not wise." .... And "Silence is wisdom when speaking is folly."
Now, lets go way back to the Holy Bible (where else..??). In Proverbs 17:28.
The NIV bible says... "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."
The KJV bible says... "Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise: And he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."
So..... It would appear that the original quote as mentioned here was 'coined' around 1906, or at least that is the first 'record' of it being used. It's possible, of course, that it was in use before that but no known mention of it occurred in written form that I can find. But, ... It's most likely derived from proverbs of a MUCH earlier time period, and probably was a biblical derivation.
This post was last modified: 12-15-2023, 11:29 AM by Hobbit99.