15ـ مَنْ أفْشى سِرَّكَ ضَيَّعَ أمْرَكَ. One who conceals his secret has the choice [of doing as he wills with it] in his hand. 16ـ مَنْ كَتَمَ سِرَّهُ كانَتِ الخِيَرَةُ بِيَدِهِ. One who entrusts his secret to an unreliable person has forfeited his secret. 17ـ مَنْ أسَرَّ إلى غَيْرِ ثِقَة ضَيَّعَ سِرَّهُ. One who divulges a secret that has been entrusted to him has betrayed [a trust]. 18ـ مَنْ أفْشى سِرّاً أُسْتُودِعَهُ (أُودِعَهُ) فَقَدْ خانَ.
Whoever is weak in keeping his own secret, he will be even weaker in keeping the secret of others. 19ـ مَنْ ضَعُفَ عَنْ سِرِّهِ (شَرِّهِ) فَهُوَ عَنْ سِرِّ غَيْرِهِ أضْعَفُ. One who is too weak to protect his [own] secret will not be strong enough to protect the secret of others. 20ـ مَنْ ضََعُفَ عَنْ حِفْظِ سِرِّهِ لَمْ يَقْوَ لِسِرِّ غَيْرِهِ. One who safeguards his secret from you has actually accused you [of being untrustworthy]. 21ـ مَنْ حَصَّنَ سِرَّهُ مِنْكَ فَقَدِ اتَّهَمَكَ.
From the ugliest form of betrayal is divulging a secret. 22ـ مِنْ أقْبَحِ الغَدْرِ إذاعَةُ السِّـرِّ. I have never blamed anyone for divulging my secret when I was more unaccommodating of it than him [by revealing it to him in the first place]. 23ـ مالُمْتُ أحَداً على إذاعَةِ سِـرّي إذْ كُنْتُ بِهِ أضْيَقَ (مِنْهُ). The basis of a secret is its concealment. 24ـ مِلاكُ السِّـرِّ سَتْـرُهُ. Do not entrust your secret to one who has no trustworthiness.
25ـ لا تُوْدِعَنَّ سِرَّكَ مَنْ لا أمانَةَ لَهُ. Do not confide in the one who would divulge your secret. 26ـ لاتَثِقْ بِمَنْ يُذيعُ سِرَّكَ. Do not inform your wife and your servant about your secret as they will [use it to] subjugate you. 27ـ لا تُطْلِعْ زَوْجَكَ،وَ عَبْدَكَ عَلى سِـرِّكَ، فَيَسْتَرِقّاكَ. Do not confide in the ignorant one with any secret that he is unable to conceal. 28ـ لا تُسِرَّ إلَى الجاهِلِ شَيْئاً لا يُطيقُ كِتْمانَهُ.
One whose breast cannot accommodate his secret has no preservation (or prudence). 29ـ لا حِرْزَ(لاحَزْمَ) لِمَنْ لا يَسَعُ سِرَّهُ صَدْرُهُ. The speech of every gathering is [supposed to be] rolled up with its carpet. 30ـ حَديثُ كُلِّ مَجْلِس يُطْوى مَعَ بِساطِهِ. If you gain confidence in your close friend then safeguard some of your affairs and conceal some of your secrets [from him], for it is possible that you may regret [revealing it all to him] sometime in the future.