--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oysters open completely when the moon is…" description: "\"“Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close ag..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/707/robert-greene-498_oyster_oysters-open-completely-when-the-moon-is_2298873.png" --- # Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when… ![“Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again so that it serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the listener…” quote by Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/707/robert-greene-498_oyster_oysters-open-completely-when-the-moon-is_2298873.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/707/robert-greene-498_oyster_oysters-open-completely-when-the-moon-is_2298873.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/707/robert-greene-498_oyster_oysters-open-completely-when-the-moon-is_2298873.png) > ““Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again so that it serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the listener. Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519”” [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Speaking too much makes one vulnerable, as the listener can exploit the openness. **In simple terms:** Talk too much, become vulnerable. Key Takeaway Practice restraint in speech. Themes communication vulnerability trust Mood cautious thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - public speaking - negotiations - relationship building Key Concepts psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When is it wise to speak openly? - How can you protect yourself while communicating? A Different Perspective Silence may hinder necessary dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/da-vinci/) ## Related quotes > [“Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oysters-open-completely-when-the-moon-is-full-and-when-the-crab-sees/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself. —LEONARDO DA VINCI In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/one-can-have-no-smaller-or-greater-mastery-than-mastery-of-oneself-2/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“quote from Leonardo da Vinci: “Obstacles cannot crush me; every obstacle yields to stern resolve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quote-from-leonardo-da-vinci-obstacles-cannot-crush-me-every-obstacle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think neurobiology is going to replace aesthetics or art history. 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Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I'm afraid I'm just too intense to have soft ideas, you know, about what to read when you're trying to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-afraid-i-m-just-too-intense-to-have-soft-ideas-you-know-about/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right. 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It was flexible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-us-call-this-quality-the-original-mind-this-mind-looked-at-the/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Explore all 511 Robert Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## More Oyster quotes > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/get-action-seize-the-moment-man-was-never-intended-to-become-an-oyster/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I went up to the camp and Paul had me eat my first oyster I had never had an oyster in my life. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-went-up-to-the-camp-and-paul-had-me-eat-my-first-oyster-i-had-never/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [“Even a grain of sand united with an oyster can make a pearl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/even-a-grain-of-sand-united-with-an-oyster-can-make-a-pearl/) Truth Devour > [From a grain of sand in the Pearl comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/from-a-grain-of-sand-in-the-pearl-comes/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The world was my oyster but I used the wrong fork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-was-my-oyster-but-i-used-the-wrong-fork/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“But the life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/but-the-life-of-a-man-is-of-no-greater-importance-to-the-universe/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [OYSTER, n. A slimy, gobby shellfish which civilization gives men the hardihood to eat without removing its entrails! The shells are sometimes given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/oyster-n-a-slimy-gobby-shellfish-which-civilization-gives-men-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A cocktail and an oyster is an awfully good thing after a park, especially one close to water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-thile/a-cocktail-and-an-oyster-is-an-awfully-good-thing-after-a-park/) [Chris Thile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-thile/) > [An oyster, that marvel of delicacy, that concentration of sapid excellence, that mouthful bwefore all other mouthfuls, who first had faith to believe it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/an-oyster-that-marvel-of-delicacy-that-concentration-of-sapid/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [I blurbed a nice book, not at all like my book 'The Big Oyster,' called 'The Essential Oyster.' I blurbed a pretty good book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/i-blurbed-a-nice-book-not-at-all-like-my-book-the-big-oyster-called/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) > [“I think about pearls. Pearls are congealed oyster spit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-think-about-pearls-pearls-are-congealed-oyster-spit/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [ “A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear \[that results\] from the injury of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-hoeller/a-pearl-is-a-beautiful-thing-that-is-produced-by-an-injured-life-it/) Stephan Hoeller > [The most extraordinary thing about the oyster is this. Irritations set into his shell. He does not like them. But when he cannot get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/the-most-extraordinary-thing-about-the-oyster-is-this-irritations-set/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [I'm a firm believer that the world should be your oyster when you're cooking. People should open themselves to other cuisines - there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/i-m-a-firm-believer-that-the-world-should-be-your-oyster-when-you-re/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) Browse all 161 Oyster quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again so that it serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the listener. 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