Speaking on impulse is one of the biggest mistakes people make. They don’t give themselves time to carefully choose their words and positions. They speak in a hostile and defensive tone, taking away from any validity in what they have to say. They convey little respect for themselves, or the one to whom they’re speaking. This is all fine and dandy if you have no interest in maintaining ties with the person to whom you speak impulsively. But, of course, you almost always do. Yes, you can ask forgiveness, and probably get it — never knowing if it’s sincere. But respect erodes, the more this happens. I find this to be a particularly thorny issue in the age of quick communication, such as texting and email. Think before you text. Think before you email. You’re going to have to stand by what you write. Yes, you can take it back. But you can’t unsay it. And what you say leaves its mark. If it doesn’t leave its mark, and your words don’t even matter, then I suppose you have another problem altogether.