Ouida Says It Best

In her poem, When Silence is Beyond Words, Ouida states:
There may be moments in friendship, as in love, when silence is beyond words. The faults of our friend may be clear to us, but it is well to seem to shut our eyes to them. Friendship is usually treated by the majority of people as a thing which will survive all manner of bad treatment. But this is an exceedingly great and foolish error; it may die in an hour of a single unwise word; its conditions of existence are that it should be dealt with delicately and tenderly, being as it is a sensible plant and not a roadside thistle. We must not expect our friend to be above humanity.

Her message is paramount, yet many are oblivious to the powerful impact of words. "Think before you speak", is a colloquialism common to many, practiced by few. The consequence of a misspoken word scars far deeper than physical affliction...the pain lingers and haunts.

Choose your battles wisely and always ask yourself, "Is it really worth it?"