My Lord, make the consciousness clear and precise, the speech thoroughly true, the surrender complete, the calm absolute and transform the whole being into an ocean of light and love.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – III : CWM, Vol. 15, p. 213
O Lord, let Thy Will be done, Thy work be accomplished. Fortify our devotion, increase our surrender, give us light upon the path. We erect Thee within us as our supreme Master that Thou mayst become supreme Master of all the earth.
Our speech is still ignorant: enlighten it.
Our aspiration is still imperfect: purify it.
Our action is still powerless: make it effective.
O Lord, the earth groans and suffers; chaos has made this world its abode.
The darkness is so deep that Thou alone canst dispel it. Come, manifest Thyself, that Thy work may be accomplished.
The Mother – Prayers and Meditations : CWM, Vol. 1, p. 231
A respectful and modest silence is the only attitude befitting a disciple.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 206
The world is deafened with useless words.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 203
Perhaps she bore made conscious in her breast
The miraculous Nihil, origin of our souls
And source and sum of the vast world’s events,
The womb and grave of thought, a cipher of God,
A zero circle of being’s totality.
It used her speech and acted in her acts,
It was beauty in her limbs, life in her breath;
The original Mystery wore her human face.
Sri Aurobindo – Savitri: CWSA, Vol. 34, Book Seven, p. 552
You must always do what you say, but it is not always wise to speak about everything you do.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 204
For writing, even more than for speaking, if you aspire to remain in the best attitude for advancing swiftly towards the Divine, you should make it a strict rule to speak (and even more to write) only what is absolutely indispensable. It is a marvellous discipline if you follow it sincerely.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 207
To cure a critical sense that manifests by incontinence of speech:
1) When you are in this state, absolutely refuse to speak―if need be, make it physically impossible for yourself to speak.
2) Study yourself without pity and realise that you carry in yourself precisely all the things that you find so ridiculous in others.
3) Discover in your nature the opposite way of being (benevolence, humility, goodwill) and insist that it develop to the detriment of the contrary element.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 206
A little bit of sincere practice is worth much more than a lot of written or spoken words.
Speak less, act more.
Talk little, be true, act sincerely.
To speak well is good. To act well is better. Never let your actions be below your words.
It is better to state a truth than to disregard it; but it is much better still to live it than to state it.
A teaching can be profitable only if it is perfectly sincere, and that means if it is lived at the moment when it is given. Words often repeated, thoughts often expressed cannot be any longer sincere.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 208
Control over what one says is more important than complete silence. The best is to learn to say what is useful in the most exact and true way possible.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 202
When speaking of physical things one should have a lively, pleasant, witty style.
When speaking of vital things the style should be eloquent.
When speaking of mental things the style should be clear, precise, exact.
When speaking of psychic things one must be inspired.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 204
If only people did remain a little quiet before speaking, acting or writing, much trouble could be avoided. So many things are said uselessly, they bring misunderstandings and bad feelings which could have been saved with silence.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 203
It is the control over oneself that is the first thing needed, and especially the control over one’s tongue! If people could learn to keep silent how many troubles would be avoided!
Be quiet and gather strength and force not only to do work but also, chiefly, to achieve the Transformation.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 203
It is always a sign of strength to be able to say things gently and it is always weakness that bursts out into unpleasantnesses.
***
Anger has never made anyone say anything but stupidities.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 205
Be on your guard against wrath in speech. Control your words, and leaving behind wrong ways of speaking, practise good conduct in speech.
The Mother – Questions and Answers : CWM, Vol. 3, p. 259
True strength and protection come from the Divine Presence in the heart.
If you want to keep this Presence constantly in you, avoid carefully all vulgarity in speech, behaviour and acts. Do not mistake liberty for licence and freedom for bad manners. The thoughts must be pure and the aspiration ardent.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 206
If you are not alone and live with others, cultivate the habit of not externalising yourself constantly by speaking aloud, and you will notice that little by little an inner understanding is established between yourself and others; you will then be able to communicate among yourselves with a minimum of words or even without any words at all. This outer silence is most favourable to inner peace, and with goodwill and a steadfast aspiration, you will be able to create a harmonious atmosphere which is very conducive to progress.
In social life, in addition to the words that concern material life and occupations, there will be those that express sensations, feelings and emotions. Here the habit of outer silence proves of valuable help. For when one is assailed by a wave of sensations or feelings, this habitual silence gives you time to reflect and, if necessary, to regain possession of yourself before projecting the sensation or feeling in words. How many quarrels can be avoided in this way; how many times one will be saved from one of those psychological catastrophes which are only too often the result of uncontrolled speech.
The Mother – On Education: CWM, Vol. 12, pp. 58-59
When a thought is expressed in speech, the vibration of the sound has a considerable power to bring the most material substance into contact with the thought, thus giving it a concrete and effective reality. That is why one must never speak ill of people or things or say things which go against the progress of the divine realisation in the world. This is an absolute general rule….
The Mother – On Education: CWM, Vol. 12, p. 60
…. I would say this: if you want your speech to express the truth and thus acquire the power of the Word, never think out beforehand what you want to say, do not decide what is a good or bad thing to say, do not calculate the effect of what you are going to say. Be silent in mind and remain unwavering in the true attitude of constant aspiration towards the All-Wisdom, the All-Knowledge, the All-Consciousness. Then, if your aspiration is sincere, if it is not a veil for your ambition to do well and to succeed, if it is pure, spontaneous and integral, you will then be able to speak very simply, to say the words that ought to be said, neither more nor less, and they will have a creative power.
The Mother – On Education: CWM, Vol. 12, p. 64
For some years, almost all our children, big or small, have been in the habit of always using vulgar words in their everyday speech. For example, they punctuate every sentence with words like “idiot”, “fool”, etc… and other similar Indian terms, without any bad intention. How can we help them to get rid of this bad habit which has become so common?
The only remedy is to learn to think before you speak and to say only the words that are absolutely indispensable to express your thought.
The less you speak the better. And if it is indispensable to communicate something to anyone else, it would be wise to speak only the words that are indispensable, no more.
Mother – On Thoughts and Aphorisms : CWM, Vol. 10, p. 264
It is indispensable to perceive the lower movements of your being, in a detached and scientific manner, as a witness with clear vision and insight. But you must never allow these movements to express and assert themselves as if they had the right to exist and govern the rest of the being. In other words, you must never act under the impulse of these movements, never physically translate their suggestions into speech or action, never permit their orders to be carried out in any inner or outer gesture.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II : CWM, Vol. 14, p. 254
