A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly.
Proverbs 15:1-2
There is nothing like a wrong reply to cause an argument over something that is insignificant. When someone says something to us that we think is a little mean our first instinct is to say something equally mean rather than to ask, “What do you mean by that?”
We may find that nothing personal was meant by the statement or that the person intended to tease us or, given the time it takes for an answer to be heard, that we cool off enough to realize it is not worth the trouble to answer and leave no snappy comeback to comeback and haunt us.
What is not said can be as important as what is said.
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