147 i have seen people in their speech which is a distinction between them and donkeys dogs and insects divided into three categories one of them is he who does not care about how he spends his speech so he speaks whatever comes to his tongue without verifying the support of truth or denying falsehood and this is the most common among people. the second is he who speaks in support of what he himself has found to be true and repelling what he imagines to be falsehood without verifying the pursuit of the truth but being stubborn in what he has committed to and this is common but less than the first. the third is he who puts speech in its proper place and this is more precious than red sulfur.
١٤٧ رأيت الناس في كلامهم الذي هو فصل بينهم وبين الحمير والكلاب والحشرات ينقسمون أقساما ثلاثة أحدها من لا يبالي فيما أنفق كلامه، فيتكلم بكل ما سبق إلى لسانه غير محقق نصر حق ولا إنكار باطل، وهذا هو الأغلب في الناس، والثاني أن يتكلم ناصرا لما وقع بنفسه انه حق ودافعا لما توهم أنه باطل، غير محقق لطلب الحقيقة، لكن لجاجا فيما التزم، وهذا كثير وهو دون الأول. والثالث واضع الكلام في موضعه، وهذا أعز من الكبريت الأحمر.