Sometimes we speak clumsily and create internal knots in others. Then we say, “I was just telling the truth.” It may be the truth, but if our way of speaking causes unnecessary suffering, it is not Right Speech. The truth must be presented in ways that others can accept. Words that damage or destroy are not Right Speech. Before you speak, understand the person you are speaking to. Consider each word carefully before you say anything, so that your speech is “Right” in both form and content.

Thich Nhat Hanh

from the book The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation

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Further quotes from the book The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching:

• Being really there
• The Middle Way between existent and nonexistent
• Right Diligence
• The only condition for happiness
• Truly free
• Fully alive and fully aware
• Anxiety is the illness of our age
• Allow yourself to be happy now
• Just be
• Call for help
• Beyond birth and death