Wu He, a famous scholar of the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 AD), was a “Jinshi,” or someone who passed the triennial examination held at the capital and proctored by the emperor. He had a mother who was very strict about discipline in her children. When Wu He spoke with guests, his mother would often listen behind a screen to see if they discussed anything that disregarded virtue.
 
One day his mother overheard Wu He talking to a guest about another individual’s shortcomings. She became very angry, and after the guest left, she flogged him one hundred times.
 
A relative tried to calm her down and said, "Talking about others' strengths or shortcomings is commonplace among scholars. What is so wrong about it? There's no need to beat him like that."
 
Wu He’s mother sighed, "I have heard that if parents truly love their daughter, they must insist on marrying her to a scholar who is very cautious about what he says. I only have one son now. I'm trying to make him understand moral and life principles. If he is not cautious about what he says, he is forgetting about his mother. This is the way he must live in the long run." His mother cried and refused to eat.
 
Divinely-inspired culture advocates that one has to be prudent about what one says. In the cultivation community, there is emphasis on the cultivation of speech, because a comment is capable of hurting others more than a sharp knife or spear could. Moreover, as soon as words are spoken, they can't be taken back, and they can create resentment and karma, thus bringing misfortune to the speaker. Therefore, a person of principle who values virtue pays attention to cultivation of speech and does not always focus on or talk about others' omissions behind their backs. Such a person gives others a chance to rectify and amend themselves in an open and dignified manner, and they also look inward to see if they have the same kind of omission.
 
Under his mother's strict discipline, Wu He exercised caution, and from then on he held himself to a strict standard and focused on the cultivation of virtue and moral principles. He eventually became a celebrated scholar during his time.
 
说话修口　不谈人短
 
宋朝进士吴贺的母亲谢氏，她教育子女非常严格。吴贺同宾客说话的时候，母亲经常在屏风后面听，听他们有没有谈论甚么损德背道的内容。
 
一天，吴贺偶然同客人谈起某人的短处，母亲在后面听了非常生气。等客人走后，母亲杖打了吴贺一百下。
 
有亲戚劝解道：“谈论人家的长短，这是读书人经常有的事，这有甚么大的过失呢？你还用将他打成这样。”
 
母亲叹息道：“我听说疼爱自己女儿的人，一定要将女儿嫁给说话非常谨慎的读书人。我现在只有这一个独子，我是要让他明白道义和性命的大道理。他现在说话不谨慎，这是忘记我这个母亲了。这样岂是长久处世之道？”母亲哭泣，并拒绝饮食。
 
在神传文化中，提倡人说话要谨慎，修炼界讲要“修口”，因为一句话可能比尖枪利刃能伤人还要重，而且话一出口，就收不回来了，会结怨造业，招惹灾祸。所以重德有道之人，他们会注重“修口”，也不会一味在私底下去谈论和盯著别人的短处，他们会光明正大的给予修正和弥补，并反观自己有没有这方面的缺陷。
 
吴贺在母亲的严厉教导下，从此警戒自己，严格约束自己，注重修德重道，后来终于成为当时的名人。