Avoid arguments

Tribue sermonem compositum in ore meo,⁴⁸ put appropriate words on my lips when someone contradicts you. No light comes from violent argument: passion prevents it. That is why we must learn how to listen to the other person and speak serenely, although this may sometimes require an interior effort to overcome ourselves. It is a meritorious mortification, since we act for a supernatural reason that gives it value.

Study the opposite position

You can be sure that sometimes we think we are completely right, and we are only partly or relatively right. An object that is concave to some is convex to others: it just depends on their standpoint. It is right, therefore, to study other people’s reasoning calmly and coolly, and to think about the mindset of the person who is contradicting us.