To understand “hollow words,” it helps to notice how easily language becomes a stage for the ego. Much speech is driven by the urge to win, to appear wise, or to fill silence, and in that sense it can be busy but empty—sound without substance. In Buddhist teaching, this kind of talk often reinforces craving and aversion, leaving the mind more tangled than before.
From there, the quote naturally leads to restraint: not as suppression, but as discernment. When words are chosen to serve attention and compassion rather than self-display, speech stops being a performance and becomes a practice. [...]
