Dear Prudence…
A phrase that was quoted by Twain and others is “better to be thought a fool and keep your mouth shut than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” (paraphrase)
In my personal life, this is a recent discovery 8^). I mean, I have encountered in debate with a friend, to wait and see what he says first.
I am also learning about how this relates to having proper boundaries. If you don’t keep your distance, you can end up full of emotion and lacking logic. Thinking meta.
Observing others goes hand-in-hand with respect for them as well. This leads to respective debate.