Silence is better

Silence can mean two things. It could either be that of power or suspicion. I prefer looking at it as power. Saying less gives a greater appearance and makes us more powerful than we are. It makes people uncomfortable but at the same time, it serves us respect.
History teaches us more than anything. With that in mind, let us delve into the past, summoning two historiacal examples as prove to my opinionated point.

King Louis XIV 

Louis XIV, the man of few words, was a highly respected King. In his court, issues of the Kingdom would be discussed by courtiers and ministers, and after those heated debates, representatives would approach the King. From there, they would introduce the issue at hand, followed by detailings of available solutions to the problem.
Louis would listen til the end of the presentation only uttering eloquently, "I shall see" when asked for his opinion. With that, the topic would not be discussed until weeks later where he would have came to his decision and act upon it.

Court of King Louis XIV

From this, we could grasp the fact on how taciturn he was, which was a matter of power. No one was able to predict him, understand him, and more importantly, deceive him. On the contrary, Louis was able to what others can't. As his courtiers tries pleasing him, they unnoticeably revealed more about themselves as they talked on and on to the silent Louis. With all this informations, he was able to differentiate loyalty from potential enemies. And whats more, he could use all those revealed informations against them. Louis XIV was such a powerful King who intimidates his people through silence, which brings them under his fingertips. 
Respect and power was what he had gained from all his silence, and this was not just because he was King.
This is especially why he is of such awe to me.

Kondraty Ryleyev

In the opposite of silence, comes fools who risk themselves through the utterance of redundance.
Kondraty Ryleyev, one of the leaders of a rebellion that happened after Nicholas I in 1825, was sentenced to death.
On the day of his execution, standing on the gallows with a noose around his neck, the trap door opened. Instead of dangling in the air, he found himself on the ground, for the rope had broke. This was considered a sign of heavenly will in those time and such things in that way was pardoned.
As Ryleyev found himself on his feet, he shouted to the crowd " You see, in Russia they don't know how to do anything properly, not even how to make rope!"
With the news of Ryleyev's survival, Nicholas I disappointed, began to sign the pardon letter. But upon hearing of what Ryleyev had shouted on account with his survival, the Czar tore the pardon and said " In that case, let us prove the contrary". The next day, Rylyev was hanged again and the rope did its job.

Rebellion lead by Ryleyev

If he did not say such things, he would have remained alive! Being sacarstic might have given him his satisfaction but in the end, he had to pay with his dear life for that. This is exactly why we should always be careful with our words and learn how to keep them controlled. The best thing would be to keep quiet.

Sure, silence may not always be golden for it do get people in trouble too. But that is a topic for another post.
I've always valued silence be it in myself, or others. But what I really want to say is that we should talk when it is only necessary. Otherwise, it's always best to keep our mouth locked. Afterall, words could literally be the death of us. 








Reference
Greene, R & Elffers, J. (2000). The 48 Laws of Power. New York: Penguin Books.