James 3: A Very Small Rudder

A bit in a horse mouth, a rudder on a large ship, a spark in a forest. Three images for the same point: something small sets the direction of something large.

James applies it to speech, and does not soften it. With the tongue we bless God and curse people made in his likeness, and he says plainly this ought not to be so.

Notice he does not offer a technique for controlling it. He treats it as a symptom, and directs attention to the spring rather than the stream.