How do I get people to take my words seriously?

Rabbi Landau answers simply: “stop talking so much.” The more you speak, the less each word means. “It’s simple economics.”

If you speak constantly, people have to filter through the noise to find your meaningful point. If you speak rarely, listeners assume every word is a signal, and they pay closer attention. That is why, he says, the wisest people in history spoke the least. “If silence is your default, every sentence becomes a spotlight.”

King Solomon said it straight: “B’rov devarim lo yechdal pesha, v’chosech sefasav maskil.” In Rabbi Landau’s words, problems aren’t solved with more speech, and if you restrain your lips, you become wise. Silence isn’t weakness. It’s authority. “The less you speak, the more your words hold value.”

Also answered in this teaching

What should I do before saying something important?

In A Soul at Peace, Rabbi Landau suggests asking yourself whether you have talked too much in the last hour, because if you have, this moment may not be heard. Sometimes a short silence before the important sentence is worth more than minutes of preparation.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

The more words you say, the less each one is worth.

Fear, vulnerability, or tension

In A Soul at Peace, Rabbi Landau describes a man who feels his words are swallowed up, so he adds more words, and the more he adds, the lighter his words become.

Underlying need or longing

Everyone wants to be heard. When silence is your default, listeners treat every word as a signal before it is even spoken.

Deepest human truth

Silence is what gives speech its weight. As Rabbi Landau writes, a guarded word is a precious word, and a precious word gets through.

More questions from this teaching

• What does “where there are many words, wrongdoing is never lacking” mean?