Speaking to the Wise

'In one thing you have not changed, dear friend,' said Aragorn: 'you still speak in riddles.'

"What? In riddles?' said Gandalf. 'No! For I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to; the long explanations needed by the young are wearying.'

---Lord of the Rings, Book Three, Chapter V---