Can anyone break down this quote for me and tell me what it means?
I know it's a second conditional quotation (unreal present) and I know it means that people think less. But, I can't understand how it conveys this meaning. I think the word "what" is somehow redundant.

Earl Nightingale "If most people said what they were thinking, they would be speechless".

Question

Can anyone break down this quote for me and tell me what it means?
I know it's a second conditional quotation (unreal present) and I know it means that people think less. But, I can't understand how it conveys this meaning. I think the word "what" is somehow redundant.

Earl Nightingale "If most people said what they were thinking, they would be speechless".

Answer

Amirreza, if you translated this into your own language, I'm sure you would also use the word for "what." I used Google Translate here and I don't know Farsi, but this is what this quote means: اگر بیشتر مردم *آنچه* را که فکر می کنند می گفتند، حتی یک کلمه هم نمی گفتند.

Answer

We could re-write it as follows:

If most people said out loud the thoughts that are going through their mind, they would be speechless.

In other most people don't have any thoughts going through their mind, according to the quote anyway.

"What" refers to the thoughts going through their mind or the things they are thinking or their thoughts.

Beyond this, I can't help you. But maybe someone with a better understanding of English grammar can.

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