When relating with people, especially older people; you may be right in what you say; yet you may not be wise in what you have said.
To be right means what you have said is correct.
To be wise means what you have said couldn't have been better said.
To be right means you had to say something
To be wise means you had something to say
Knowing the right thing is not enough reason to speak
You must know how to say it.
It is better to not speak at all, than to not speak well.
So, you don't only apologise when you were wrong, you apologise when you haven't spoken well, even though you were right;
Blunt speech is often full of sharp words. All puns considered; what an irony!
You may have said something quite factual, or argued with your husband or wife or colleague, or friend, or parent; and you may have been right
But remember, any fool can be right. What they lack is not knowledge.
It is wisdom.
There's a difference between mere knowledge and wisdom
Einstein said "Any fool can know. The point is to understand"
Spurgeon said "Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great as a knowing fool"
And Solomon? This is what he said
Proverbs 17:27
A truly wise person uses few words;
a person with understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
Lemuel's mother speaking of the virtuous woman said "She opens her mouth with wisdom" (Proverbs 31:26)
Taste your words before you spit them out. If they don't taste good, keep chewing them until they do. Or else, swallow them.
It's called tact. According to Churchill, it is the ability to tell people to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip. Another person said it is a way of doing your best to make a point without making an enemy.
It's not for others to feel better, it is for you. If you can control your tongue, you will be able to control your life. James, the brother of Jesus the Christ...he wrote it this way:
(Amplified Bible)
For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature. ..(James 3:2)
.
Please go apologise for the way you spoke and at the next opportunity, until you know how to say it well, silence is golden.
It doesn't mean you are wrong or don't know something.
It means you are learning to be wise.
I speak to both you and me.
Good morning.