Derek Charles More Brabazon Quotes

The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible.

Be sincere, be brief, be seated.

I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.

No one ever complains about a speech being too short!

Brevity is the best recommendation of speech, whether in a senator or an orator.

Less is almost always better than more. Short words, short sentences, short speeches.

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

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

A book should be luminous not voluminous.

When a writer tries to explain too much, he's out of time before he begins.

Speak on, but be not over-tedious.

I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.

Say what you have to say and the first time you come to a sentence with a grammatical ending - sit down.

I think precision in writing goes hand in hand with not trying to say everything. You try and say two-thirds, so the reader will involve himself or herself.

A good rule for writers: do not explain overmuch.

My liege, and madam, to expostulate What majesty should be, what duty is, Why day is day, night night, and time is time, Were nothing but to waste night, day and time. Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief.

The finest words in the world are only vain sounds if you can't understand them. The best sentence? The shortest.

It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point.

Lyrically, 'less words mean more' is a pretty good rule of thumb. Try to cut out the fat and get to the meat of what you're saying.

Brevity is a great charm of eloquence.

To be brief is almost a condition of being inspired.

What I learned most was how to tell a story in 15 seconds or 30 seconds or 60 seconds - to have some kind of goal of what to try to do and make it happen in that time.

Brevity and conciseness are the parents of correction.

Why need I volumes, if one word suffice?

Most speakers speak ten minutes too long.