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I was curious to see the full text of the translated poem. Here it is via google books preview of the book in question:
Oh man, think long
before talk escapes your mouth.
Speak thoughtfully, without anger and hatred,
thus you will succeed all the better.
Listening quickly and answering slowly,
considering things carefully, that is how wise men live.
Through talk many have been overcome,
in silence few have been found dishonourable.
There is no better protection from dishonour
than being the master of your tongue.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/James-1-19/
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:"
It seems like solid advice.
I'm curious about the known exceptions. I.e., when has holding one's tongue entirely, or taking time to think before speaking, worked out badly?
Maybe don't stifle the urge to say you love someone.
If you like historical accounts of what ordinary people said, there's this book about interviews with peasants from the High-Late Middle Ages.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.
Interesting account of use of gossip to spread information that ordinary people might not have been in a position to learn and how the author leveraged his contacts to expand his own local network of trusted sources.
I am left wishing for a joke about priests talking to nuns though. Maybe someone could dig some of these old jokes from the document so that the rest of us can chuckle at the same jokes this guy and his peers enjoyed.
> St Gall (or St Gallen) was a town that ran on talk
...and cat and dog meat: https://www.thelocal.ch/20121227/dogs-still-eaten-in-switzer...