An ornate hand mirror leans against a burgundy velvet cushion beside a pale quill feather.

Original artwork, not a still

Sententiae

Publilius Syrus

Speech is a mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker holds that the way a person talks shows what they are inside. Words work like a reflecting surface, letting others see character rather than merely hear information. On this view, no one can speak without revealing something of who they truly are.

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