“Speak sometimes of things, but not of persons.”Baltasar Gracián · Oracolul manual · 1647 · aforismul 13
Talk about things, not people: ideas earn you respect, judgments about others always reach their ears.
Talking about people, even with good intentions, slides easily into gossip and creates enemies. Talking about things shows your cultivation and harms no one. Gracián, who wrote a manual of prudence for the Spanish court, knew that a judgment about someone almost always reaches that person's ears. At a business dinner, one remark about a colleague's competence can ruin your reputation; a discussion of the market or a book earns you respect.
Why it matters Useful for anyone who wants to be respected at work or in social circles without getting tangled in gossip and conflict.