Muwaththa' Malik · #1835
قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ الْقَاسِمَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ كَانَ يَقُولُ أَدْرَكْتُ النَّاسَ وَمَا يَعْجَبُونَ بِالْقَوْلِ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ الْعَمَلَ إِنَّمَا يُنْظَرُ إِلَى عَمَلِهِ وَلاَ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ .
English
Malik said, "I heard that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad used to say, 'I have seen the people, (i.e. the companions), and they were not impressed by speech.' " Malik said, "He meant that only action and deeds would be looked at, not words