ABSTRACT
In order to live and develop effectively, an individual often have to decide whether to speak or not before speaking becomes a de facto behavior. Choosing what to say and choosing what not to say are various alternatives always standing side by side. First, choosing not to speak is a matter of pragmatic strategy, but this by no means tells the whole story. Second, choosing not to speak is a matter of wisdom. Third, choosing not to speak can have something to do with the special culture of a particular profession or institution. Fourth, choosing not to speak is also an old topic in philosophy. The wisdom of choosing not to speak is well articulated in the early Wittgenstein’s philosophy, more specifically by the last statement of his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent”.
