Words That Hurt, Words That Heal: How to Choose Words Wisely and Well

by Telushkin, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9780688163501
• ISBN10: 0688163505
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-12-01
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Joseph Telushkin is renowned for his warmth, his erudition, and his richly anecdotal insights, and in Words That Hurt, Words That Heal he focuses these gifts on the words we use in public and in private, revealing their tremendous power to shape relationships. With wit and wide-ranging intelligence, Rabbi Telushkin explains the harm in spreading gossip, rumors, or others' secrets, and how unfair anger, excessive criticism, or lying undermines true communication. By sensitizing us to subtleties of speech we may never have considered before, he shows us how to turn every exchange into an opportunity. Remarkable for its clarity and practicality, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal illuminates the powerful effects we create by what we say and how we say it.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Unrecognized Power of Words	p. 1
The Unrecognized Power of Words	p. 3
How We Speak About Others	p. 11
The Irrevocable Damage Inflicted by Gossip	p. 15
The Lure of Gossip	p. 35
When, If Ever, Is It Appropriate to Reveal Information That Will Humiliate or Harm Another?	p. 46
Privacy and Public Figures	p. 55
How We Speak to Others	p. 67
Controlling Rage and Anger	p. 69
Fighting Fair	p. 84
How to Criticize, and How to Accept Rebuke	p. 90
Between Parents and Children	p. 107
The Cost of Public Humiliation	p. 118
Is Lying Always Wrong?	p. 133
Words That Heal	p. 147
Words That Heal	p. 151
What Do We Do Now?	p. 167
Incorporating the Principles of Ethical Speech into Daily Life	p. 169
Where Heaven and Earth Touch: A National "Speak No Evil Day"	p. 183
Appendix: Text of Senate Resolution to Establish a National "Speak No Evil Day"	p. 187
Notes	p. 189
Index	p. 209
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