I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter."

(Letter 16, 1657)

Blaise Pascal

Tags: humor writing letters wit brevity conciseness correspondence pithy

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In all pointed sentences, some degree of accuracy must be sacrificed to conciseness."

(On the Bravery of the English Common Soldiers)

Samuel Johnson

Tags: expression accuracy conciseness

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Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose.

William Zinsser

Tags: writing conciseness

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Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.”

[Letter to Harrison Blake; November 16, 1857]

Henry David Thoreau

Tags: writing storytelling conciseness precision

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