77. Think Before You Speak

Sometimes we say things without thinking. Very often a thoughtless remark may hurt others' feelings or cause a misunderstanding or an embarrassment. We must， therefore， always think before we speak.

Once I told an old friend how beautiful his girlfriend looked when I saw them together at a movie theater the other day. Unfortunately， I made a mistake. It happened that she wasn't with my friend. She was with someone else. I had let the cat out of the bag， so to speak. I'd never been so embarrassed in my life. I certainly learned my lesson， but at a very high price. His girlfriend never spoke to me again！ And to make matters worse， it is rumored that they eventually broke up.