We hear it all the time: “Words matter.” And of course, that’s true. But so do actions.

Andrew Carnegie put it like this, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”

It’s hard to trust someone who repetitively doesn’t follow through on what they say. 

So better not to say anything at all unless we really plan to follow through. Proverbs 10:19 says, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”

Whether we’re a husband, father, boss, laborer, pastor, teacher, coach, or political leader, the words that matter most are the ones we back up with actions. 

Reputations rise and fall on whether or not we “keep” or words. As Elvis Presley pleaded, “A little less conversation, a little more action please.”