50 Think Before You Speak Quotes For Better Communication

Before you put your foot in your mouth again, take a look at these awesome think before you speak quotes.

Not everything we think needs to be said aloud.

There is a beauty in silence that gets lost when we decide to break it.

It only takes 600 milliseconds for the human brain to think of a word, apply the rules of grammar, and send it to the mouth to be spoken aloud.

No wonder many people say things they do not mean or have not thought through.

A very observant anonymous poet once remarked that “Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.”

Our thoughts are fast as lightning and turn into words just as quickly.

A lot can happen in just 600 milliseconds.

Life-changing words can be uttered. Bonds and friendships that took years to develop can be broken in 600 milliseconds.

Take your time and read over these think before you speak quotes to remember the importance of doing so.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

Browse our entire collection of inspirational quotes for more motivating ideas and concepts.

Think before you speak quotes to inspire and teach

1. “We fail to say the right words because we choose to say the wrong words!” – Ernest Agyemag Yeboah

2. “Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.” – Voltaire

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3. “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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4. “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” – Fran Lebowitz

5. “Think before you speak, and don’t say everything you think.” – Alexander Lebed

6. “By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.” – Winston Churchill

7. “You are master of what you say until you utter it. Once you deliver it, you are its captive.” – Ali Ibn Talib A.S

8. “A fool is made more of a fool when their mouth is more open than their mind.” – Anthony Liccione

9. “I always think before I speak. I always think, “I think I’ll speak now.” – John Alejandro

10. “Your word is your wand. The words you speak create your own destiny.” – Florence Scovel Shinn

Insightful think before you speak quotes

11. “Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” – Josh Billings

12. “Think before you speak is criticism’s motto; speak before you think, creation’s [motto].” – E.M. Forster

13. “Thinking doesn’t hurt. Words do.” – Anonymous

14. “Words have power to heal. Words have power to kill.” – Anna Maledon

15. “It is only the young and callow and ignorant that admire rashness. Think before you speak. Know your subject.” – Cass Gilbert

16. “Preserve your tongue as you do your gold and money. One word could bring disgrace and the termination of a bliss.” – Ali Ibn Abi Talib A.S

17. “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” – John Ford

18. “The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.” – Mortimer Adler

19. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” – Abraham Lincoln

20. “Life isn’t about just talking, it’s about thinking too.” – Marie Symeou

Think Before You Speak Quotes That Will Make You Think

21. “Keep quiet and ponder! Speak and say something!” – Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

22. “Every time you speak right, you are training yourself to think right and act right.” – T. B. Joshua

23. “There is a difference between speaking the truth in love and judging someone hypocritically…make sure you know the difference before you speak!” – Pauline Seaport

24. “Think before you speak. Your words could hurt someone’s feelings more than you intended it to.” – Justin Bieber

25. “We choose to say the wrong words because we fail to think about the right words!” – Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

26. “You are responsible for everything you TWEET and RETWEET.” – Germany Kent

27. “Why talk and say the unsaid words in haste when silence can speak the unspoken words?” – Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

28. “A person with a short neck shot word without measure them out, and a person with a long neck weigh their words before they shout word out!” – Beta Metani’Marashi

29. “When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two-thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one-third thinking about what I want to say.” – Abraham Lincoln

30. “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” – Ambrose Bierce

Powerful think before you speak quotes

31. “Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn…before you criticize, wait.” – William Arthur Ward

32. “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” – Napoleon Hill

33. “Men of few words are the best men.” – William Shakespeare

34. “We still need a voice that thinks before it speaks.” – Simon Armitage

35. “A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.” – Lysa TerKeurst

36. “There are some who speak one moment before they think.” – Jean de la Bruyere

37. “If you think before you speak, the other guy gets his joke in first.” – Jimmy Nail

38. “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” – John Ford

39. “The words you utter should always be cautious and respectful.” – Anurag Prakash Ray

40. “Sometimes not speaking says more than all the words in the world.” – Colleen Hoover

Think Before You Speak Quotes to Use As Quick Reminders Throughout Your Day

41. “Think before you speak. Is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind?” – Alan Redpath

42. “Genius might be the ability to say a profound thing in a simple way.” – Charles Bukowski

43. “Words spoken can not be recalled, so think twice before you speak.” – William Shakespeare

44. “Always speak the truth, think before you speak, and write it down afterward.” – Lewis Carroll

45. “The most important step in developing skillful speech is to think before speaking.” – Allan Lokos

46. “Know when to speak your mind and when to let others put their foot in their mouth.” – Mark Hook

47. “Be careful of the words you speak. It may be just words, but sometimes it also hurts.” – Mhaj Porras

48. “Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.” – Anon

49. “Think before you speak a word of wisdom. Ponder before you utter a word of knowledge.” – Analiza Garcia

50. “My people, you gotta think before you move, you gotta speak before you cry, you gotta live before you die.” – Lil B

Did these Think Before Your Speak Quotes get you thinking?

Ironically, it takes discipline to maintain silence.

The human brain is designed to observe events and conditions and make remarks about them.

It’s wired into our DNA to want to discuss what we see. But not everything we think needs to be shared.

Philosopher Voltaire once wrote, “Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.”

The “T.H.I.N.K” acronym is a wonderful tool we can use to run our thoughts through a sieve to determine if we should use that 600 milliseconds to turn a thought into words.

Ask yourself, “Is this True?” “Is this Helpful?” “Is this Inspiring?” “Is this Necessary?” And lastly, “Is this Kind?”

If you run your thoughts through this acronym and they pass the test, then share what is on your mind.

However, if it does not, it’s probably better to keep that thought to yourself.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these think before you speak quotes and sayings?

Let us know in the comment section below.