It is a point of wisdom to be silent when occasion requires, and better than to speak, though never so well.

There are moments when the best available sentence is still worse than nothing. A well-made remark at the wrong time takes something away from the room: someone else’s moment, a silence that was doing work, a grief that did not need commentary. Knowing when not to speak is a separate skill from speaking well.

In your next meeting or difficult conversation, hold back one contribution you were sure was good. See what fills the space. Often someone else says it, or it turns out not to have been needed, and you keep the standing that comes with restraint.