The Oldest Shortest Words Yes And

Attributed to Pythagoras in later ancient sources, though no writings of his survive. The aphorism reflects the Pythagorean emphasis on careful, deliberate speech — a discipline enforced in his school at Croton, where new initiates were required to observe several years of silence before being permitted to speak in philosophical discussions. Diogenes Laertius records numerous such sayings attributed to Pythagoras, but their authenticity cannot be verified given the gap of centuries between the man and the sources.