photo #9082622

Jimmy on March 15, 2026

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When someone comes to you with a rumor... remember Socrates' test of the three filters.

One day, in ancient Greece, a man approached Socrates, excited:

— "You want to know what I heard about your friend? "

Socrates calmly replied:

— "Wait a moment. Before we speak, let's put this through three filters. "

— "Three filters? "

— "Yes. The first is the truth: are you sure what you want to tell me is true? "

— "Well... no. I was simply told it. "

— "I understand. Second filter: kindness. Is what you want to tell me something positive? "

— "No, on the contrary..."

— "So you want to tell me something negative, without being sure that it’s true. Let's look at the third filter: utility. Does it do me any good to know that? "

— "To be honest... no. "

Then Socrates concludes:

— "If it's neither true, nor good, nor useful... why tell me about it? "

🌿A simple but powerful lesson.

It protects relationships, it lightens our lives and it makes the world a little better.