Never question another man's motive. His wisdom, yes, but not his motives.

Questioning is not the mode of conversation among gentlemen. It is assuming a superiority, and it is particularly wrong to question a man concerning himself. There may be parts of his former life he may not wish to be made known to other persons, or even brought to his own recollection.

Everyone you meet always asks if you have a career, are married, or own a house as if life was some kind of grocery list. But no one ever asks you if you are happy.

"A man who lives never asks, "What is living?" and he has no theories about living. It is only the half-alive who talk about the purpose of life."

When a man says he does not want to speak of something he usually means he can think of nothing else.

i have never pondered over questions that are not questions.

He was a man who was charged with the work he did in life because he was not one to ask questions - not so much on account of any natural quality of discretion as because he simply could never think of any questions to ask.
...
On the strength of which he had guaranteed himself regular employment for as long as he cared to live.

Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?

Show me the man who isn't interested in discussing himself.

"...My dad, may he rest in
peace, taught me many wonderful things. And one of the things he taught me was never ask a guy what you do for a living.

He said "If you think about it, when you ask a guy, what do you do you do for a living," you’re saying "how may I gauge the rest of your utterances." are you smarter than I am? Are you richer than I am, poorer than I am?"

So you ask a guy what do you do for a living, it’s the same thing as
asking a guy, let me know what your politics are before I listen to you so
I know whether or not you’re part of my herd, in which case I can nod
knowingly, or part of the other herd, in which case I can wish you dead.

What business had I to think of one that never thought of me?

we do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all.

Don’t ask a writer what he’s working on. It’s like asking someone with cancer on the progress of his disease.

"it's not my business," Scrooge returned. "It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's. Mine occupies me constantly."