Undertaking the practice of wise speech is a true act of kindness. Since the things we say often travel much further afield than we realize, we need to stick to the principle that whatever we say about someone who is not present, we would be willing to say in the same way, in the same tone, to their face. If not, it is preferable to observe noble silence: when there are no hearers there are no recriminations later.
— Christopher Titmuss, An Awakened Life