Patricia Marx Quotes

Anyone can make an article longer; the skill is keeping it tight and lean.

Use half as many words and they'll hit twice as hard.

I think in most cases, unless you're writing about a character who is garrulous, you say what you've got to say and then get out. Those little conjunctions, those little turnaround words help you do it. That's the way I like to write: I get rid of things rather than add them.

Say all you have to say in the fewest possible words, or your reader will be sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words or he will certainly misunderstand them.

It has often been said there’s so much to be read, you never can cram all those words in your head. So the writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads. That's why my belief is the briefer the brief is, the greater the sigh of the reader's relief is. And that's why your books have such power and strength. You publish with shorth! (Shorth is better than length.)

I would never use a long word, even, where a short one would answer the purpose.

Brevity is a great charm of eloquence.

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

Good writing does not come from verbiage but from words.

Brevity and conciseness are the parents of correction.

In a newspaper, you only have so much room. It teaches you the value of getting to the point, of not pampering yourself with your glorious writing. I've always been much more interested in one powerful sentence that stays with you. That's my style.

Vigorous writing is concise.

I believe most things can be said in a few lines.

My purpose in public address and in speech is really encapsulated in three C's: clear, concise, correct. No overblowing rhetoric or anything like that. As simple as possible: clear, concise, correct.

Aim for brevity while avoiding jargon.

Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.

It behooves us to avoid archaisms. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

It is excellent discipline for an author to feel that he must say all he has to say in the fewest possible words, or his reader is sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words, or his reader will certainly misunderstand them. Generally, also, a downright fact may be told in a plain way; and we want downright facts at present more than anything else.

To say more while saying less is the secret of being simple.

A writer should never be brief at the expense of being clear.

For effective communication, use brevity. Jesus said, 'Follow me.' Now that's brief! He could be brief because of all that he was that he didn't have to say.

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.

My stories are very compact. I want them to say the most complex things in the simplest way.

Some people write a thank you note for a gift, and it's three pages long, and some people write a thank you note, and it's five sentences - that's me. I like to pare away words because I don't want to waste anyone's time.

Be prepared to fall out of love with your words. I'm still too verbose at times.