Malik said, "I heard that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad used to say, 'Ihave seen the people, (i.e. the companions), and they were notimpressed by speech.' " Malik said, "He meant that only action anddeeds would be looked at, not words."
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 56, Hadith 25
Arabic reference: Book 56, Hadith 1838