One Word...

One word can be more precious than all the treasures of the earth.

Bowl of Saki, August 9, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

There may perhaps be someone among our friends or acquaintances whose one word
has weight and power; whereas another person says a thousand words that go in at
one ear and out at the other. And this is because in one person his mouth
speaks, in another person his heart speaks, and in another his soul speaks.
There is a great difference.

Many, content with their honesty, speak just as they like at the moment. They do
not mind what effect it will produce as long as they are sure that what they say
is true. The truth that strikes like a hammer on the head of the listener is not
desirable, one would be better off without it. This shows that it is not only a
thing to consider that what one says is true, there is another consideration
which is most necessary, and that is what effect it will make on the other. ...
The complete spiritual life is not a dreamy one, but wide-awake, full of thought
and consideration.

The word has a magic in it, it can turn friends into your enemies, and it can
make your enemies your friends. The mystery of all success in every direction of
life is in the word. The word has power to turn the mind of the listener warm or
cold. The word can produce the effect of earth, water, fire, air, or ether. The
word can produce depression or joy. The one who knows the chemistry of the word
does not need drugs or herbs. He has medicine for every disease in the world,
not only for bodily disease, but also for the disorders of the mind, which still
remain unexplored by science. By a constant study of life, by special thought
given to one's word, by careful watching of the effects of one's speech upon
others, one arrives at a state of realization where one can heal hearts.