Carl Sandburg

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Measured Speech Careful Choice

The poem urges the listener to speak with deliberation and wisdom. It compares choosing words to an old woman sorting apples from a bushel, suggesting careful selection, patience, and attention to quality. The short exhortation frames speech as an act requiring care and experience, implying consequences for careless words and valuing modest, practical judgment over impulsive talk.

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Speak, sir, and be wise. Speak choosing your words, sir, like an old woman over a bushel of apples.

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