A wise man speaks when he has something to say. A fool speaks when he has to say something.

A wise man speaks when he has something to say. A fool speaks when he has to say something.

Plato said: A wise man speaks when he has something to say. A fool speaks when he has to say something. I know Plato was right, but what the hell does that saying mean? I guess it means something different to everybody who reads it. Sooo, here is what I think it means.

The wise person thinks before saying something. The fool is just flapping his gums to fill the space in the pregnant pause. Some of us think it's wrong to pause when asked a question. Those people are either really bright and can process the question and come up with a wise answer in milliseconds or a fool who will make shit up just to answer the question without the pause it takes to think it through.

What's wrong with the pause? Are you afraid they will think you're not smart enough to answer immediately? They won't think you're stupid if you can make them believe the pause is because you really want to get the right answer.

How do you do that - body language? If you stare straight ahead at the questioner with glass filled eyes, he will believe there is nothing going on inside your head. If you look down, again, he will believe there is nothing going on inside your head. However, if you look up and point one finger upward, he will be sure you are thinking of the right answer. He will also give you all the time you need to answer the question.

After thinking the answer through, what's wrong with saying: "Jill, I don't know the answer to your question?" I can tell you that's a lot better than making shit up just so Jill will think you're wise. The fool speaks when he has to say something.

I keep saying "he" because men are more macho and were brought up to believe it's a man's job to be considered wise (and we all know that's only 50% true). In my experience, women are more likely to say: "I don't know" than men.

On the other hand, women are more likely to answer the question with a question. It all comes down to attitude, ego or just trying please the questioner. I say, get rid of the attitude, the ego and the pleasing stuff and just answer the question the best you can even if you have to say:

"I Don't Know Shit"