Stylistic adornments, as any pomp and circumstance and decoration, can only get in the way of the important things in life. Minimalism is the form of the Tao. Sincere words may also lack nicety by being blunt, unwelcome, or controversial. Speaking sincerely is not the same as making conversation. Wisdom, in other words, requires that one go beyond the prevailing discourse of any time.
Sincere words are almost like pieces of silence in the incessant din of everyday communication.
Yet, in spite of being controversial at times, a wise person is not argumentative or quarrelsome. Combative or cantankerous argumentation often betrays a person's desire to win, to prevail, not a desire to find the truth. Like lawyers in court who have to win their case by any means necessary, certain ideologues gratify their egos by succeeding in forcing their view on others, by humiliating, as it were, their opponents. Even if they have the truth on their side, the truth is not their real goal, but rather a means to puff up their own selves. Thus, a wise person stays clear of this sort of argument, and people who are embroiled in this sort of discussion do not have the leisure and relaxation that is needed for an impartial contemplation of things.