Say Little
Lyrics
Say little, do a lot.
Say little, do a lot.
Say little, do a lot.
Say very little, say but a little, but do a lot.
אמור מעט , עשה הרבה
Emor m’at, aseh harbeh.
Emor m’at, aseh harbeh.
Emor m’at, aseh harbeh.
Emor m’at, emor m’at, aseh harbeh.
Talk less, do more.
Talk a little less, do a little more.
Talk a lot less, do a whole lot more.
Talk less, talk less, do more.
אמור מעט מעט , עשה הרבה הרבה
Emor m’at m’at, aseh harbeh harbeh.
Emor m’at m’at, aseh harbeh harbeh.
Emor m’at m’at, aseh harbeh harbeh harbeh.
Emor m’at, emor m’at, aseh harbeh.
Say little, do a lot.
Say little, do a lot.
Say little, do a lot.
Say very little, say but a little, but do a lot.
Say very little, say but a little, but do a lot.
Do a lot.
Reflections on this Song
How does it feel to be with a person who sounds too full of himself or herself?
Who talks too much? Or too long? Or too loud?
Or speaks with unwarranted authority?
Or speaks nonsense?
Or talks a good game, but doesn’t follow through?
I don't want to be with that person.
And I don't want to be that person.
Yet we say things that we later regret.
We speak too soon.
We oversell our own abilities and accomplishments.
We fill uncomfortable pauses with meaningless chatter.
We overcommit ourselves.
The very terse words of Shammai in Pirkei Avot could address any or all of these embarrassments, and help us cultivate anavah (humility).
Middot
Silence שתיקה Shtikah
Enthusiasm זריזות Zerizut
Humility ענוה Anavah
Respect כבוד Kavod
Trustworthiness אמונה Emunah
Source
Shammai, in Pirkei Avot 1:15.
Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash
Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash