Martin Luther Quotes

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

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.

I never want to confuse people or go over their heads.

Minimalism has a connotation of being reductive, and not in the best way. 'Brevetist' is a better term. I'm trying to be as concise as possible and still getting across to the reader. When information is delivered in that way, it is very satisfying to me.

Simple and to the point is always the best way to get your point across.

Say what you have to say in the fewest possible words.

True eloquence consists in saying all that is necessary, and nothing but what is necessary.

Say only a little but say it well.

My basic rule is to speak slowly and simply so that my audience has an opportunity to follow and think about what I am saying.

Do not put cleverness in front of the communication.

There are two kinds of speeches: the Mother Hubbard speech, which, like the garment, covers everything but touches nothing, and the French bathing suit speech, which covers only the essential points.

Say it clear, and it will be beautiful.

I see but one rule: to be clear.

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

If you are knowledgeable about something and are able to talk about it, you should be able to express yourself.

I believe that things can be expressed very powerfully through simplicity.

My favourite writers are always great storytellers, like Bruce Springsteen; I adore Bruce Springsteen. I feel like he doesn't beat around the bush, and he doesn't overcomplicate things. He puts things into layman's terms and tells stories that anyone can understand.

I want people to hear what I have to say, and I want to be able to get a lot of points across.

The best things - when I really feel that I'm communicating, and when I really feel that people are getting it - are simple, straightforward recipes. I think simple is the hardest to achieve because you don't have all those elements to hide behind.

Every man should study conciseness in speaking; it is a sign of ignorance not to know that long speeches, though they may please the speaker, are the torture of the hearer.

When a man has no design but to speak plain truth, he may say a great deal in a very narrow compass.

I write as straight as I can, just as I walk as straight as I can, because that is the best way to get there.

Never mistake legibility for communication.

To make yourself understood you have to think plain and write plain.

I don't care how much a man talks, if he only says it in a few words.