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A gentle answer turns away anger,
   but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

How you say something is often times even more important than what you say, at least in terms of having people actually listen to you. What good is it to win the argument but lose the person? None. We are not simply trying to be theoretically correct, we are trying to win people over to the truth. So, be sure what you’re speaking is the truth, and then speak in such a way that people will listen.

Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord,
   but the one who is devious in his ways despises him.

Living in such a way that it doesn’t matter who’s looking is a liberating experience. If it doesn’t matter who knows what you’re doing, you don’t have to expend all that energy trying to keep secrets.

Arrogance leads to nothing but strife,
   but wisdom is gained by those who take advice.

It is not a sin to be right, however we should always be willing to listen to the facts or a reasonable argument which is contrary to the way we see things. The goal isn’t to be win an argument, our goal should be to know the truth… that is wisdom.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
   but one who hates correction is stupid.

We are all a work in progress. If we are not willing to listen to the wisdom that can correct our course, we are acting stupidly. Weigh the facts and listen to the truth, or in other words, don’t be stupid.