Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 17: The Three Kinds of Faith

Bhagavad Gita 17.15

anudvegakaraṃ vākyaṃ satyaṃ priyahitaṃ ca yat | svādhyāyābhyasanaṃ caiva vāṅmayaṃ tapa ucyate ||

Speech that causes no distress, that is truthful, pleasant, and helpful, together with the regular recitation of scripture: this is called austerity of speech.

Modern context

This is one of the best-known guides to speech in any tradition. Speech should cause no distress; it should be true, pleasant and helpful. All four together. True but cruel words fail the test. Pleasant but false words fail it too. Helpful truth spoken harshly also falls short. It is a demanding standard, and practising it is called an austerity, because it takes real discipline.