1"Bhikkhus, there are these three kinds of persons found existing in the world. What three? The one whose speech is like dung, the one whose speech is like flowers, and the one whose speech is like honey.

(1) "And what, bhikkhus, is the person whose speech is like dung? Here, if he is summoned to a council, to an assembly, to his relatives’ presence, to his guild, or to the court, and questioned as a witness thus: ‘So, good man, tell what you know,’ then, not knowing, this person says, ‘I know,’ or knowing, he says, ‘I do not know’; not seeing, he says, ‘I see,’ or seeing, he says, ‘I do not see.’ Thus he consciously speaks falsehood for his own ends, or for another's ends, or for some trifling worldly end. [n.364] This is the standard definition of false speech among the ten courses of unwholesome kamma, as at AN10.176 §4 of the unwholesome section. The explanation of "speech like flowers," just below, is the standard definition of truthful speech in the corresponding wholesome section. This is called the person whose speech is like dung.

2(2) "And what is the person whose speech is like flowers? Here, if he is summoned to a council, to an assembly, to his relatives’ presence, to his guild, or to the court, and questioned as a witness thus: ‘So, good man, tell what you know,’ then, not knowing, this person says, ‘I do not know,’ or knowing, he says, ‘I know’; not seeing, he says, ‘I do not see,’ or seeing, he says, ‘I see’; he does not consciously speak falsehood for his own ends, or for another's ends, or for some trifling worldly end. This is called the person whose speech is like flowers.

3(3) "And what is the person whose speech is like honey? Here, some person, having abandoned harsh speech, abstains from harsh speech. He speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear, and lovable, as go to the heart, are courteous, desired by many, and agreeable to many. This is the person whose speech is like honey.

"These, bhikkhus, are the three kinds of persons found existing in the world."

1"Tayome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Gūthabhāṇī, pupphabhāṇī, madhubhāṇī.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo gūthabhāṇī? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo sabhaggato vā parisaggato vā ñātimajjhagato vā pūgamajjhagato vā rājakulamajjhagato vā abhinīto sakkhipuṭṭho: ‘ehambho purisa, yaṁ jānāsi taṁ vadehī’ti. So ajānaṁ vā āha: ‘jānāmī’ti, jānaṁ vā āha: ‘Na jānāmī’ti, apassaṁ vā āha: ‘passāmī’ti, passaṁ vā āha: ‘Na passāmī’ti; iti attahetu vā parahetu vā āmisakiñcikkhahetu vā sampajānamusā bhāsitā hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo gūthabhāṇī.

2Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo pupphabhāṇī? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo sabhaggato vā parisaggato vā ñātimajjhagato vā pūgamajjhagato vā rājakulamajjhagato vā abhinīto sakkhipuṭṭho: ‘ehambho purisa, yaṁ pajānāsi taṁ vadehī’ti, so ajānaṁ vā āha: ‘Na jānāmī’ti, jānaṁ vā āha: ‘jānāmī’ti, apassaṁ vā āha: ‘Na passāmī’ti, passaṁ vā āha: ‘passāmī’ti; iti attahetu vā parahetu vā āmisakiñcikkhahetu vā na sampajānamusā bhāsitā hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo pupphabhāṇī.

3Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo madhubhāṇī? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo pharusaṁ vācaṁ pahāya pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti; yā sā vācā nelā kaṇṇasukhā pemanīyā hadayaṅgamā porī bahujanakantā bahujanamanāpā tathārūpiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo madhubhāṇī.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.