Watch your own speech, and notice how it is guided by your less conscious purposes… – George Eliot, “Borne Along by the Tide,” The Mill on the Floss, 1860

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. – Author unknown, attributed to Mark Twain

Does it seem sometimes that you are always the one to break an embarrassing silence — and always by saying something more embarrassing than the silence? – Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com