"It is a great advantage for any man to be able to talk or hear, neither ignorantly nor absurdly, upon any subject; for I have known people, who have not said one word, hear ignorantly and absurdly; it has appeared by their inattentive and unmeaning faces."
January 1, 1970
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope%2C_4th_Earl_of_Chesterfield