Source: Elbert Hubbard, Little Journeys to the Homes of American Statesmen (1898), p. 370: "If you would escape moral and physical assassination, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing—court obscurity, for only in oblivion does safety lie." Other versions of the saying were repeated in several of Hubbard's later writings.
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There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.

— Aristotle

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing." in the context of "Source: Elbert Hubbard, Little Journeys to the Homes of American Statesmen (1898), p. 370: "If you would escape moral and physical assassination, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing—court obscurity, for only in oblivion does safety lie." Other versions of the saying were repeated in several of Hubbard's later writings." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Aristotle" (Misattributed) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 24, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Aristotle

About Aristotle

Aristotle, a student of Plato, revolutionized Western thought through his systematic approach to logic, ethics, and natural sciences. His emphasis on empirical observation and deductive reasoning laid the foundation for scientific inquiry and profoundly shaped philosophy for centuries to come.