William Hazlitt Quotes

They talk most who have the least to say.

We know that he has, more than any other man, the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thought.

We never say so much as when we do not quite know what we want to say. We need few words when we have something to say, but all the words in all the dictionaries will not suffice when we have nothing to say and want desperately to say it.

And 'tis remarkable that they talk most who have the least to say.

Writing is learning to say nothing, more cleverly each day.

Words are the coins making up the currency of sentences, and there are always too many small coins.

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.

Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed.

We [journalists] have a tendency to go on talking even when we have nothing to say.

Wordiness is a sickness of American writing. Too many words dilute and blur ideas.

In general those who nothing have to say Contrive to spend the longest time in doing it.

People who have nothing to say are never at a loss in talking.

Superfluous words simply spill out when the mind is already full.

As it is the mark of great minds to say many things in a few words, so it is that of little minds to use many words to say nothing.

Make no mistake, those who write long books have nothing to say. Of course those who write short books have even less to say.

Writers talk too much.

Loquacity with tongue or pen is its own reward -- or, punishment.

If a thing can be said in ten words, I may be relied upon to take a hundred to say it. I ought to apologize for that. I ought to prune, pare and extirpate excess growth, but I will not. I like words—strike that, I love words—and while I am fond of the condensed and economical use of them in poetry, in song lyrics, in Twitter, in good journalism and smart advertising, I love the luxuriant profusion and mad scatter of them too.

Words are like Leaves; and where they most abound, Much Fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found.

He has the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thoughts.

If you're a woman writer, sometime, somewhere, you will be asked: Do you think of yourself as a writer first, or as a woman first? Look out. Whoever asks this hates and fears both writing and women.

If I had to write a book, I could not find anything in the world worth saying - as is indeed the case with many voluminous authors.

One can write out of love or hate. Hate tells one a great deal about a person. Love makes one become the person. Love, contrary to legend, is not half as blind, at least for writing purposes, as hate. Love can see the evil and not cease to be love. Hate cannot see the good and remain hate. The writer, writing out of hatred, will, thus, paint a far more partial picture than if he had written out of love.