View source for Authority is exercised through careful speech and silence

{{Tsm’syen Law Page
|title=Authority through careful speech and silence
|status=Working
|category=Tsm’syen Law
}}

== Core Principle ==
Authority is exercised through '''careful speech and silence'''.

== Meaning ==
In Tsm’syen law, authority is not asserted through volume, force, or repetition.  
It is demonstrated through restraint, timing, and discernment.

Words carry weight.  
Silence carries responsibility.

== General Principles ==
* '''Careful speech:''' Words are chosen for clarity, necessity, and consequence.
* '''Lawful silence:''' Silence may be used to prevent escalation or imbalance.
* '''Restraint as authority:''' The ability to withhold speech is a sign of lawful control.
* '''Protection of dignity:''' Speech and silence both serve to protect people from harm.
* '''Witnessed conduct:''' Authority is recognized over time through consistent restraint.

== Lawful use ==
Elders may exercise authority by:
* speaking only when clarification is needed
* withholding speech when emotions are heightened
* allowing time for reflection before decisions
* preventing premature or harmful judgments
* signaling limits without confrontation

== Limits ==
* Silence is not avoidance of responsibility.
* Silence does not replace lawful process.
* Speech is required when harm, imbalance, or misuse of power persists.
* Authority is not secrecy; it remains accountable to witnesses.

== Modern context ==
In modern governance and dispute resolution, this principle guards against:
* performative leadership
* escalation through public statements
* decision-making driven by reaction rather than law
* misuse of authority through intimidation or spectacle

== Cross references ==
* [[Restraint and responsibility]]
* [[Elders prioritize balance over outcome]]
* [[Elders as Interpreters of Law]]
* [[Interpretation considers history, relationship, and consequence]]
* [[Limits on authority]]
* [[Accountability before witnesses]]