The Danger of the Tongue

We all make mistakes in all kinds of ways, but the man who can claim that he never says the wrong thing can consider himself perfect, for if he can control his tongue, he can control every other part of his personality! Men control the movements of a large animal like the horse with a tiny bit placed in his mouth. Ships too, for all their size and the momentum they have with a strong wind behind them, are controlled by a very small rudder according to the course chosen by the helmsman.

The human tongue is physically small, but what tremendous effects it can boast of!

A whole forest can be set ablaze by a tiny spark of fire, and the tongue is as dangerous as any fire, with vast potentialities for evil. It can poison the whole body; it can make the whole life a blazing hell.

From: The Letter of James, chapter 3:1-6 Phillips modern English Trans