A Pearl of Wisdom from Iyās b. Muʿāwiyah

Iyās b. Muʿāwiyah al-Qāḍī said:

كُلُّ رَجُلٍ لَا يَعْرِفُ عَيْبَهُ فَهُوَ أَحْمَقُ قَالُوْا فَمَا عَيْبُكَ قَالَ كَثْرَةُ الْكَلَامِ

“Any man who does not know his deficiency is a fool.” The people said: “What is your deficiency?” He replied: “Speaking too much.”

(al-Mukhtār min Kalām al-Akhyār, 269)