Ptahhotep · Philosophy

The Discipline of Speech and Silence

Ptahhotep’s counsel on the hardest of crafts - knowing when to speak and when to hold back. How to argue with a superior, an equal, and an inferior; why ‘fair speech is more rare than the emerald,’ yet may be found even among servant girls at the grindstones.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Ptahhotep treated speech as the rarest craft (‘more rare than the emerald’, yet found even among servant girls at the grindstones), taught different conduct for disputing with superiors, equals, and inferiors, and prized the discipline of silence over the urge to win. Explain his teaching…

Leads to Confucius.

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