Speech Summary

Read more about Speech from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

Cultivating Control of Speech

Correct speech that hurts none. Never speak uselessly and scrupulously avoid all malevolent speech. One has to admit only what the inner being consents to think or speak.

Many hours of silent concentration are needed to be able to speak usefully for a few minutes. Moreover, where inner life and spiritual effort are concerned, the use of speech should be subjected to a still more stringent rule and nothing should be said unless it is absolutely indispensable.

One can talk, but with silence within and quietude in the speech. Minimizing speech is sure to be helpful both for right action and for inner sadhana.

In fact, one should always do this, when he feels that he is caught by an impulse of some kind or other, particularly impulses of anger. If one takes as an absolute discipline, instead of acting or speaking (because speech is an action), instead of acting under the impulse, if one withdraws and then does as I said, one sits down quietly, concentrates and then looks at his anger quietly, one writes it down, when one has finished writing, it is gone—in any case, most often. Be on your guard against wrath in speech. Control your words, and leaving behind wrong ways of speaking, practise good conduct in speech.

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Read more about Speech from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.