--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As so often happens, I discover that it…" description: "\"As so often happens, I discover that it would have been better to keep my mouth shut.\" — Prince Philip" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/prince-philip-2922_communication_as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-w_2849709.jpg" --- # As so often happens, I discover that it would have been… ![“As so often happens, I discover that it would have been better to keep my mouth shut.” quote by Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/prince-philip-2922_communication_as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-w_2849709.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/prince-philip-2922_communication_as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-w_2849709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/prince-philip-2922_communication_as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-w_2849709.jpg) > “As so often happens, I discover that it would have been better to keep my mouth shut.” [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Speaking freely often reveals that silence would have been wiser. **In simple terms:** Silence can be wiser. Key Takeaway Think before speaking. Themes communication wisdom self‑reflection Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking workshops - personal coaching - mindfulness Key Concepts speech regret social etiquette Questions to Reflect On - When should you stay silent? - How can you balance honesty and discretion? A Different Perspective Over‑censorship can hinder honesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-mouth-2530225/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Happens Discover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-discover-3785391/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mouth Shut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth-shut/) [Mouths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouths/) [Shut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shut/) ## Related quotes > [It's better I keep my mouth shut. Let my feet do the talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marko-arnautovic/it-s-better-i-keep-my-mouth-shut-let-my-feet-do-the-talking/) [Marko Arnautovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marko-arnautovic/) > [“It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and prove it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-allen/it-is-better-to-keep-your-mouth-shut-and-be-thought-a-fool-than-to/) [Katie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-allen/) > [X + Y + Z X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/x-y-z-x-is-work-y-is-play-z-is-keep-your-mouth-shut/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You're almost always better off keeping your mouth shut, but don't let that stop you from popping off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-re-almost-always-better-off-keeping-your-mouth-shut-but-don-t-let/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [“Proverb for the child: "food fed by a known hand tastes better in the mouth than by unfamiliar fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeru-chize-ryan-ogunkah/proverb-for-the-child-food-fed-by-a-known-hand-tastes-better-in-the/) [Zeru (Chize) Ryan Ogunkah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeru-chize-ryan-ogunkah/) > [“A woman is always better in everything with the mouth; she talks a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/a-woman-is-always-better-in-everything-with-the-mouth-she-talks-a-lot/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“It is better to keep your mouth closed and appear a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/it-is-better-to-keep-your-mouth-closed-and-appear-a-fool-than-to-open/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I've never been mugged, never really experienced street fear. In fact, I'm the one who gets into arguments because I don't keep my mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-whittaker/i-ve-never-been-mugged-never-really-experienced-street-fear-in-fact-i/) [Jodie Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-whittaker/) > [I'm not going to keep my mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-trucks/i-m-not-going-to-keep-my-mouth-shut/) [Butch Trucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-trucks/) > [One of the hardest things in the world is keeping your mouth shut when you know something needs to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-is-keeping-your-mouth-shut/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-duhamel/when-you-are-in-it-up-to-your-ears-keep-your-mouth-shut/) [Georges Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-duhamel/) > [In discussions like this I'd rather keep my mouth shut. I'll get thrown out of this school...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-discussions-like-this-i-d-rather-keep-my-mouth-shut-i-ll-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I had kept my damn mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-wish-i-had-kept-my-damn-mouth-shut/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Sometimes you've got to keep your mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-harvick/sometimes-you-ve-got-to-keep-your-mouth-shut/) [Kevin Harvick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-harvick/) > [Knowing when to keep your mouth shut is invariably more important than opening it at the right time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/knowing-when-to-keep-your-mouth-shut-is-invariably-more-important/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) ## More by Prince Philip > [I would like to go to Russia very much — although the bastards murdered half my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/i-would-like-to-go-to-russia-very-much-although-the-bastards-murdered/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [The biggest waste of water in the country by far. You spend half a pint and flush two gallons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/the-biggest-waste-of-water-in-the-country-by-far-you-spend-half-a/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/your-country-is-one-of-the-most-notorious-centres-of-trading-in/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [All money nowadays seems to be produced with a natural homing instinct for the Treasury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/all-money-nowadays-seems-to-be-produced-with-a-natural-homing/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [You're just a silly little Whitehall twit: you don't trust me and I don't trust you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/you-re-just-a-silly-little-whitehall-twit-you-don-t-trust-me-and-i/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [Anyone who is concerned about his dignity would be well advised to keep away from horses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/anyone-who-is-concerned-about-his-dignity-would-be-well-advised-to/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [Oh! You're the people ruining the rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/oh-you-re-the-people-ruining-the-rivers/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [We don't come to Canada for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/we-don-t-come-to-canada-for-our-health-we-can-think-of-other-ways-of/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [Why don't you go and live in a hostel to save cash?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/why-don-t-you-go-and-live-in-a-hostel-to-save-cash/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [And what exotic part of the world do you come from?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/and-what-exotic-part-of-the-world-do-you-come-from/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [In the end we must, I think, somehow conclude that they have as much right to this planet as we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/in-the-end-we-must-i-think-somehow-conclude-that-they-have-as-much/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/everybody-was-saying-we-must-have-more-leisure-now-they-are/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [Constitutionally I don't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/constitutionally-i-don-t-exist/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [It is frequently more rewarding merely to ask pertinent questions. It may get someone to go and look for an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/it-is-frequently-more-rewarding-merely-to-ask-pertinent-questions-it/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [People can't get their heads round the idea of a species surviving; you know, they're more concerned about how you treat a donkey in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/people-can-t-get-their-heads-round-the-idea-of-a-species-surviving/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) [Explore all 145 Prince Philip quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? 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No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As so often happens, I discover that it would have been better to keep my mouth shut.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Prince Philip" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-would-have-been-better-to-keep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-would-have-been-better-to-keep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/prince-philip-2922_communication_as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-w_2849709.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/prince-philip-2922_communication_as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-w_2849709.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/prince-philip-2922_communication_as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-w_2849709.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As so often happens, I discover that it would have been better to keep my mouth shut.” — Prince Philip", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Prince Philip", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As so often happens, I discover...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-would-have-been-better-to-keep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/as-so-often-happens-i-discover-that-it-would-have-been-better-to-keep/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```