Words are very powerful.

As a mother I see their effect on my children every day…when I scold them, when I praise them and when I encourage them and even when I am talking to them. I can see how their eyes light up when I say nice words or how defeated they look when criticized or scolded. Words have a huge impact on their facial expressions, their mood and in fact their whole body.

Words can make you cry or make you laugh and make you think or motivate you and encourage you.

Similarly, day in and day out, many relationships are destroyed, friendships broken or association turn sour because of our choice of wrong words. Unless situation demands truth and nothing but harsh truth, we have to employ tact or just refrain from saying certain things.

We should never belittle people or humiliate them especially in public. Even in jest, or “just joking”, we should never draw attention to other people’s shortcomings. Some people can be very sensitive and may not be able to withstand verbal assaults.

Similarly, we should avoid asking personal questions. Every person has a right to his privacy and we have no right to poke our noses into other people’s businesses or private life.

Similarly, we should be generous when it comes to saying words of praise, appreciation and gratitude. Some people are very stingy when it comes to saying “thank you”especially when it comes to thanking for the services of waiters, maids, bus/taxi-drivers, etc or saying "sorry" when the situation demands.

Right words at the right time make the world go round.