Knowledge is valuable, but wisdom is knowing when to speak and when to stay silent

There's a story often told to illustrate this saying.

Long ago, three men were sentenced to death by guillotine: a priest, a judge, and a physicist.

The priest was brought forward first. As the executioner released the blade, the priest declared, "I am innocent. God will protect me." The blade rushed downward—but stopped just inches above his neck. The crowd gasped. Seeing this as a divine sign, the king ordered the priest to be released.

Next came the judge. Before the blade fell, he said, "I am innocent. Justice will prevail." Once again, the blade dropped but halted just before reaching his neck. The king took it as another extraordinary sign and pardoned the judge as well.

Finally, the physicist stepped up. Looking carefully at the guillotine, he noticed the problem immediately. Instead of remaining silent, he pointed at the mechanism and said, "The blade isn't falling because there's a knot in the rope. If you untie it, it will work properly."

The executioner inspected the rope, found the knot exactly where the physicist had said, untied it, reset the guillotine, and this time the blade fell without stopping.

The physicist was executed.

The moral: Knowledge is valuable, but wisdom is knowing when to speak and when to stay silent. Sometimes, saying less can save you from creating your own problems