The Wisdom of Listening
True wisdom begins with listening. The Vizier Ptahhotep taught that one who listens becomes wise, while one who only speaks remains in ignorance.
True wisdom begins with listening. The Vizier Ptahhotep taught that one who listens becomes wise, while one who only speaks remains in ignorance.
Listening is better than anything; it creates goodwill. How good it is when a son heeds his father!
Instructions of Ptahhotep
Written about in
- What ancient Egypt says about what to say and what to leave unsaid
Ptahhotep's first maxim ranks hearing above every other skill, and gives a social reason for it: listening creates goodwill. The order is the argument — Egypt taught speech by teaching silence first.