proverb · Words worth keeping
Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.
Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The instruction pairs restrained speech with open-eyed attention. It gives observation priority over immediately adding words.
What the words are saying
The mouth and eyes make two responses concrete. A useful application can encourage learning the situation before commenting. It should not require silence when a question, objection or request for help is needed, and observation alone does not guarantee understanding.
Everyday example
A newcomer listens to an explanation and observes the task before asking a specific question.
When to use it
Use it to discuss attention before a response.
What it does not mean
Silence is not always appropriate, and watching does not establish knowledge by itself.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 85; PDF page 16
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.