Silence is the true friend that never betrays.

Nothing you did not say can be repeated, twisted, or used against you later, which is the plain arithmetic of discretion. Speech leaves your control the instant it leaves you, and the disclosures people come to regret are often made in a moment of warmth rather than carelessness. Silence has costs of its own, since someone who never says anything real is not much of a friend either, and some burdens are too heavy to keep to yourself.

The workable version is choosing where you are open rather than being open everywhere by default. Before sharing something that matters, pause long enough to ask whether this is the room for it, and if something is weighing on you, look for the person who can be trusted with it.