Don't say anything unkind...

We often have opinions about others. Unless they are glowing, it’s often best to keep them to ourselves.

 

·      If you don’t have

·      Anything nice to say, 

·      Don’t say anything at all.

 

The things we say come back to us all the time. I was once giving a speech about what the upcoming Mirage employment center was going to be like and said: “it’s not going to be going to the DMV”. That got a polite laugh from the audience. It also resulted in a call from Nevada’s Governor asking me why I would say such an unkind thing about a group of people who worked hard to take care of the public. Bad as it might be, he said, they provide a necessary service that deserves a thank you rather than a joke. And then he assigned me to a board empaneled to help them find solutions. That taught me (1) don’t criticize what you don’t understand and (2) everything y0u say is a reflection on you. Our words matter and even when we think nobody’s listening, we should consider their impact if anyone were listening. Here’s a good rule of thumb: don’t say anything behind someone’s back that you wouldn’t say to their face. Snarky comments just make you look bad. Don’t say anything unkind today.

 

Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993): British actress and humanitarian who was recognized as a film and fashion icon.