![]() ![]() The ascription of the saying to Mark Twain is also dubious. Further, YBQ indicated that the phrase was in use years before this date with no attachment to Lincoln. Since Lincoln died in 1865 this is a suspiciously late instance, and it provides very weak evidence. The wonderful Yale Book of Quotations (YBQ) 2 investigated the saying and presented the earliest known attribution to Lincoln in Golden Book magazine in November 1931: 3 However, there is no substantive evidence that either of these famous individuals employed the maxim. This maxim has many different forms, and it is often ascribed to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain. Remaining silent simply allows one to avoid the fate of being thought a fool or stupid. In the biblical version one is thought wise if one remains silent, but in the questioner’s statements the word “wise” is not used. The quotations that the questioner listed use a distinctive formulation that is certainly more humorous. Here is the New International Version followed by the King James Version of this verse: 1Įven a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.Įven a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. There is a biblical proverb that expresses a similar idea, namely Proverbs 17:28. When I mentioned this adage to a friend he claimed that it was in the Bible, but it does not sound very Biblical to me. The phrasing is different, but I think these two statements express the same thought. It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. Here are two versions of an entertaining saying that is usually credited to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain:īetter to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln? Mark Twain? Biblical Proverb? Maurice Switzer? Arthur Burns? John Maynard Keynes? Confucius? Anonymous? ![]()
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