Before voicing an opinion,
be sure the one you are speaking to 
wishes to hear it.
On one occasion, a monk asked the Buddha if he would speak to a certain woman.
Agreeing, the Buddha went to the woman. Seeing him approach, she turned away. The Buddha calmly walked around to face her again. She looked up. The Buddha moved so that he was again within her eyesight, but this time she looked down.
The Buddha then told the monk that the woman did not wish to listen to him. The Buddha wasn’t upset. He calmly accepted that conditions weren’t right for her to listen to him.
So unlike us—the unawakened and opinionated people of today.
Having neglected to first get a person’s okay to offer our opinion, we just plunge into giving it anyhow. The person may listen politely but sigh inwardly. She may mentally roll her eyes. Or argue. The chance of her eagerly saying “Wow! Thanks!” have become slim. Instead of helping, we’ll have irritated someone. And possibly, permanently turned the person off.
Article originally appeared on a buddhist perspective (http://www.abuddhistperspective.org/).
See website for complete article licensing information.