--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some people mistake weakness for tact. If…" description: "\"Some people mistake weakness for tact. If they are silent when they ought to speak and so feign an agreement they do not feel, they call it being tactf..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/frank-medlicott-88679_active_some-people-mistake-weakness-for-tact-if_2646076.jpg" --- # Some people mistake weakness for tact. If they are silent… ![“Some people mistake weakness for tact. If they are silent when they ought to speak and so feign an agreement they do not feel, they call it being tactful. Cowardice would be a much better name. Tact is an active quality t hat is not exercised by merely making a dash for cover. Be sure, when you…” quote by Frank Medlicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/frank-medlicott-88679_active_some-people-mistake-weakness-for-tact-if_2646076.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/frank-medlicott-88679_active_some-people-mistake-weakness-for-tact-if_2646076.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/frank-medlicott-88679_active_some-people-mistake-weakness-for-tact-if_2646076.jpg) > “Some people mistake weakness for tact. If they are silent when they ought to speak and so feign an agreement they do not feel, they call it being tactful. Cowardice would be a much better name. Tact is an active quality t hat is not exercised by merely making a dash for cover. Be sure, when you think you are being extremely tactful, that you are not in reality running away from something you ought to face.” [Frank Medlicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-medlicott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True tact requires confronting issues, not hiding behind silence or false agreement. **In simple terms:** Tact is confronting, not avoiding. Key Takeaway Speak up when needed. Themes courage integrity communication Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - workplace meetings - family disputes - political debates - personal boundaries Key Concepts assertiveness honesty social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - When have you avoided a necessary conversation? - What would happen if you chose honesty over comfort? A Different Perspective Silence can be misinterpreted as tact, risking unresolved problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Active](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) [Agreement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement/) [Better Tact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-tact-2310988/) [Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardice/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-away/) [Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Tact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tact/) [Tactful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tactful-658697/) [Tactful Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tactful-cowardice-2310987/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) [Weakness Tact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness-tact-2310986/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [Some people mistake weakness for tact. If they are silent when they ought to speak and so feign an agreement they do not feel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-medlicott/some-people-mistake-weakness-for-tact-if-they-are-silent-when-they-2/) [Frank Medlicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-medlicott/) > [Be sure, when you think you are being extremely tactful, that you are not in reality running away from something you ought to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-medlicott/be-sure-when-you-think-you-are-being-extremely-tactful-that-you-are/) [Frank Medlicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-medlicott/) > [“wished he were better at this tact shit. “Mrs. Riles, I came to talk about your husband.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-phillips/wished-he-were-better-at-this-tact-shit-mrs-riles-i-came-to-talk/) [Richard Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-phillips/) > [Everybody admires a go-getter if he is tactful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-tupper/everybody-admires-a-go-getter-if-he-is-tactful/) [Earl Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-tupper/) > [You are so tactful that I have no idea what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/you-are-so-tactful-that-i-have-no-idea-what-you-want/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“I found myself wishing that Jeeves wasn't always so dashed tactful. I mean, it's all very well to remove yourself like an eel sliding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/i-found-myself-wishing-that-jeeves-wasn-t-always-so-dashed-tactful-i/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [The worst of having so much tact was that you never quite knew whether other people were acting naturally or being tactful too. \[The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-worst-of-having-so-much-tact-was-that-you-never-quite-knew/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I hate the way, once you start to know someone, care about them, their behavior can distress you, even when it's unreasonable and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/i-hate-the-way-once-you-start-to-know-someone-care-about-them-their/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [I'm quite tactful, actually. I worry about whether people are all right. With my friends, obviously, conversations are quite free and uncensored, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-davis/i-m-quite-tactful-actually-i-worry-about-whether-people-are-all-right/) [Julia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-davis/) > [“thinking to be tactful and adroit, the woman stood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasunari-kawabata/thinking-to-be-tactful-and-adroit-the-woman-stood/) [Yasunari Kawabata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasunari-kawabata/) > [Sometimes I can be tactful and sometimes not. It all depends on the mood I'm in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-brown/sometimes-i-can-be-tactful-and-sometimes-not-it-all-depends-on-the/) [Melanie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-brown/) > [“This is supposed to be a touch-feely conversation where we tell you, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll always have a family here with us.’ And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/this-is-supposed-to-be-a-touch-feely-conversation-where-we-tell-you/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [Growing up, I didn't feel tactful or classy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chappell-roan/growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-tactful-or-classy/) [Chappell Roan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chappell-roan/) > [Whenever your well-being feels at risk around certain people, make a tactful and swift exit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-orloff/whenever-your-well-being-feels-at-risk-around-certain-people-make-a/) [Judith Orloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-orloff/) > [Talk about tactful - she's got a tongue like a Kalashnikov!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-fowler/talk-about-tactful-she-s-got-a-tongue-like-a-kalashnikov/) [Steve Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-fowler/) ## More by Frank Medlicott > [Be sure, when you think you are being extremely tactful, that you are not in reality running away from something you ought to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-medlicott/be-sure-when-you-think-you-are-being-extremely-tactful-that-you-are/) [Frank Medlicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-medlicott/) > [Some people mistake weakness for tact. If they are silent when they ought to speak and so feign an agreement they do not feel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-medlicott/some-people-mistake-weakness-for-tact-if-they-are-silent-when-they-2/) [Frank Medlicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-medlicott/) [Explore all 3 Frank Medlicott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-medlicott/) ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. 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