Quotes About Conciseness

The faster the word sticks to the thought, the more beautiful is the effect.

It does not require many words to speak the truth.

Words are cheap. The biggest thing you can say is 'elephant'.

Much wisdom often goes with fewest words.

Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.

As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing.

Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all.

It's very interesting, the joke comes first and then the wording comes within five seconds, maybe ten seconds. My thing is to get the joke across in as few words as possible. However, sometimes a word that's not really needed does help the rhythm of it. It's a gut feeling.

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.

It is better wither to be silent, or to say things of more value than silence. Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word; and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few.

If you be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams - the more they are condensed the deeper they burn.

If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams - the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.

Words easy to be understood do often hit the mark; when high and learned ones do only pierce the air.

Tweeting has taught me the discipline to say more with fewer words.

Sometimes a couple notes are worth a thousand words.

I'm not Cormac McCarthy, but I can get my point across in a thousand words.

I'm a big believer in keeping the stage directions really tight.

I just think a lot of movies are too long. I want to know how to make my movie as tight as possible.

I often speak publicly, and when I do, I also get to listen to other presenters. The most memorable are the ones that hit an emotional chord with a tight story and a punch line. No fluff. Keep it creative and concise. Greatness exists in quality, not quantity.

A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation.

Now you need to "front-load" your value. Cut to the chase. Get to the point. Make it short and sweet. The pressure is on. It's almost as if people have developed collective ADD, swimming like a goldfish from one message to another, jumping from one email to the next.

Don't accustom yourself to use big words for little matters

Do not accustom yourself to use big words for little matters.

Write like you speak with the 'rhythms of human speech,' as William Zinsser said, and in as few words as possible. Use action verbs to carry water.