What does this quote mean?

“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.”

Answering before listening mistakes speed for competence; understanding requires enough restraint to hear the matter before judging it.

Source note: Proverbs 18:13 in the King James Version.

“Then let us cultivate silence.”

Silence is presented as part of communication discipline: not every thought needs immediate verbal display, and restraint can preserve attention and meaning.

Source note: The Simple Life, Chapter IV, “Simplicity of Speech,” Mary Louise Hendee translation, Project Gutenberg #23092; Wagner recommends silence after criticizing needless verbal noise.

“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”

Speed without judgment can undermine the very goal a person is pursuing, so patience becomes part of effective action.

Source note: Act 2, Scene 3; Friar Laurence urges Romeo to move with greater care.

“When angry, count four; when very angry, swear.”

The line begins like conventional restraint advice and then breaks its own moral posture, using escalation to turn a familiar self-control formula into a comic admission about anger.

Source note: Pudd’nhead Wilson, Chapter X epigraph; a Calendar maxim placed directly after the mortality joke.

“coolness and presence of mind under all circumstances”

Osler defines professional imperturbability as maintaining enough composure to perceive and act clearly when circumstances are difficult or urgent.

Source note: Aequanimitas, valedictory address delivered at the University of Pennsylvania on May 1, 1889; preserved in the public-domain Aequanimitas collections. The phrase concerns professional composure and is not a recommendation for emotional suppression.

“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”

Judgment includes restraint: choosing the wrong contest can be as damaging as fighting badly once the contest begins.

Source note: The Art of War, Chapter III, among Sun Tzu’s listed essentials for victory.