When I was 18, I worked for this little boutique residential appraising company in Maryland and the manager there was a female. She was tough. She was drop dead sexy gorgeous. The men loved her (and one did for sure - literally hehe), but the subordinates (me and my coworkers) were terrified of her. To keep us quiet and keep the peace, she put this sign up in the back of the office that no one could miss. It read:
Better to be silent, and thought a fool, then to speak and remove ALL DOUBT!
We've all done what you've done, Peggy. That's why there's a Proverb with that very same meaning:
Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent.