If there were no gratified hearers of ill reports, there would be an end of the trade of spreading them.
Author: Charles Spurgeon Source: The Treasury of David, Psalm 15.
The best way to deal with slander is to pray about it: God will either remove it, or remove the sting from it. Our own attempts at clearing ourselves are usually failures; we are like the boy who wished to remove the blot from his copy, and by his bungling made it ten times worse.
Author: Charles Spurgeon Source: The Treasury of David, Commentary for Psalm 119:20.
Gossip often veils itself in acceptable conventions such as "Have you heard..." or "Did you know...?" or "They tell me..." or "Keep this to yourself, but..." or "I do not believe it is true, but I heard that..." or "I wouldn't tell you, except that I know it will go no further." Of course, the most infamous such rationalization in Christian circles is, "I am telling you this so you can pray."
Author: R. Kent Hughes Source: Disciplines of a Godly Man, p. 139.
Gossip involves saying behind a person's back what you would never say to his or her face. Flattery means saying to a person's face what you would never say behind his or her back.
Author: R. Kent Hughes Source: Disciplines of a Godly Man, p. 139
The joyless Christian reveals himself by having negative thoughts and talk about others, in a lack of concern for others welfare, and a failure to intercede on others behalf. Joyless believers are self-centered, selfish, proud, and often vengeful and their self-centeredness inevitably manifests itself in prayerlessness.
If there were no gratified hearers of ill reports, there would be an end of the trade of spreading them.