Precision of communication is important, more important than ever, in our era of hair-trigger balances, when a false, or misunderstood word may create as much disaster as a sudden thoughtless act.

James Thurber (1894-1961) American cartoonist and writer

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ear Muffs,” New Yorker (20 Jun 1959)
    (Source)

Collected in Lanterns and Lances (1961).