The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.

The remark distinguishes between the active harm of slander and the social ecosystem that allows it to spread. It suggests that malicious speech is predictable—there will always be people willing to distort others—but that the deeper frustration lies in the audience’s credulity and appetite for gossip. By shifting blame toward listeners, the quote highlights how reputational damage depends on reception: slander gains power only when repeated, believed, or rewarded with attention. Implicitly, it urges skepticism, ethical restraint, and responsibility in how one consumes and circulates claims about others, framing listening as a moral act rather than a passive one.