The Art of Wordly Wisdom(117)

Never talk of Yourself. To do so you must either praise yourself, which is vain, or blame yourself, which is weak-minded — it is unseemly for the speaker and unpleasant for the listener. And if you should avoid this in ordinary conversation, how much more so in official matters, and above all, in public speaking, where every mere appearance of unwisdom really is unwise. The same want of tact lies in speaking of someone in his presence, owing to the danger of going to one of two extremes: flattery or censure.

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