为什么话不能说绝? Why Should We Avoid Speaking In an Absolute Manner?

佛门很讲究惜言。何谓惜言？就是说话要留有余地，因为话说绝了就没有退路了。

Buddhism emphasizes on treasuring our words. It means to avoid speaking absolutely, otherwise, there would be no room for flexibility.​

佛门告诉我们，这个世界的真相是因缘变化的。今天达成一个约定，明天可能就变化了，所以彼此留一点余地，就比较符合缘起法。

​所以，说话时一定不要尽言，因为因缘随时都在变化，随时都在无常。

有人问，民间流传甚广的“逢人只说三分话，不可全抛一片心”这段话，与佛家所倡导的“控制尽言——惜言”是一样的道理吗？

其实，这是不一样的，佛教讲的惜言，是建立在利他的基础上。菩萨考量一件事情，是把自己的利益抛开，是站在对方的立场考虑问题的。因为因缘在不停地变化，如果今天把话说尽了，若以后产生变化，就会伤害到别人。​
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Buddhism tells us the truth that the world is changing alongside causes and conditions. An agreement that was reached today may change tomorrow; hence leaving some room for each other is more in line with the teaching of dependent arising.

Therefore, we should avoid speaking in an absolute manner, because the situations are always changing, and Impermanence happens all the time.

You might wonder, if the widely circulated phrase "Don’t tell everything you know, and never give your heart to anyone", is the same as treasuring our words, which is recommended in Buddhism here?
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Actually, they are not the same. Treasuring words in Buddhism are based on altruism. Bodhisattvas always acknowledge things from the standpoint of others and set aside his own interests. Because the situations are constantly changing, if you speak in an absolute manner, it might hurt others if things don’t go that way.