Larry Wall Quotes

Now, what we are not talking about, what you're really coming to, is what compromises one makes so that the listener understands somewhat of what you're doing, what you're trying to express.

I wanted it to be as readable as possible. I had the ambition of reaching a broader audience.

You must be loud but you must also be understandable. There’s no point in being loud if you can’t be understood.

Eloquence is the essential thing in a speech, not information.

If you don't know what is being said, the rest of the actor's work is wasted.

People don't read me and say, 'Oh, it's so clean and elegant.'

It's funny because I've made a living off of words, but words get in the way of what you really want to say.

There are various ways of delivering some kind of truth, so I try to find the style or the way that I find more effective.

The more clearly you write, the more easily and surely you will be understood.

I love words, and I love that there's so many words available to make a point and to create a picture.

Ordinary people can be very articulate and very eloquent.

I am not good at making people understand certain things.

Format is just the language. Content is the only thing that is important. Form is like handwriting. Whether you write in a scribble or clean handwriting or type it, the content remains the same. You want to write in clean hand, in a kind of a clear format only because it is aesthetically pleasing. I can scribble, that's also fine.

When the public doesn't understand me, it's a battle. So when I choose words, I choose them for their musicality, rhythm, and sense, and I choose the right dialect to express that.

Ideas are only as good as your ability to communicate them.

If you have the words, there's always a chance that you'll find the way.

The unread is always better than the unreadable.

I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it’ll make sense.

Clarity is the most important thing to me - in thinking - and so I try in the books to be as clear as possible.

This is why it is sometimes hard for introverts to find words: we really hate to compromise, and words are always a compromise.

If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.

If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loudly. Do not compound mispronunciation with inaudibility

Say what you mean. Say what you see. Make a photograph, if you can, for the reader.

It's better to say too much, than never to say what you need to say again.

Words, like glasses, obscure everything they do not make clear. Before using a fine word, make a place for it.