Expansion of Ideas
Example is Better Than Precept OR
Practice What You Preach OR
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
All of us are born preachers. But when it comes to practising what we preach, we find excuses. Just telling someone what to do or how to behave is not enough. Behaving the way that one wants others to behave has a more powerful effect. Telling others what to do and not doing it oneself is absolute hypocrisy.
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| Practice What You Preach |
Children are keen observers. They quickly observe the gulf between the speech of adults and their actual behaviour, between their words and deeds, between their preaching and practice. They are influenced more by the actions of their elders than by their words. They imitate their actions and inculcate their habits.
Gandhi wanted to impress upon the villagers the importance of cleanliness. Whenever he visited a village, he would take a broom in his hand and sweep the streets. His action had more effect than any speech he might have given. A father who smokes cannot scold his child when he finds him (the child) smoking. If he wants his child never to start the habit of smoking, he should first give up smoking himself. If parents want their children to pick up good manners, they should themselves be models of good behaviour. In short, we should ourselves do what we want others to do. This is because actions speak louder than words. An ounce of example is worth much more than a ton of precept.
