‘When I learned to think before speaking my words started to settle in the hearts of others softly.’ Alex Elle
I am such a fan of the ‘less is more’ philosophy when it comes to speaking and this quote captures the reason perfectly.
So often, the way that we hurt one another is with words. We say things that are, unkind, unnecessary, or just un-thought out.
Dropping thoughtless words into the world is a bit like spilling salt into water…. Once the release takes place, there is no going back… and there is always a bitter taste left behind.
Sometimes people buffer a thoughtless comment with this phrase, ‘It wasn’t my intent to hurt you” … a phrase that truly gets under my skin. Having no intention to hurt someone is not enough, we can all do better than that.
Marianne Williamson (one of my favorite spiritual teachers) asks this question to those who hurt her with thoughtless words;
‘It may not have been your intent to hurt me with what you said, but tell me this, was it your intent to love me?’
Intending not to hurt someone is just not enough… don’t let this be an excuse for allowing your mouth to run faster than your sensibility. Those of us who know better, need to do better.