Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon Quotes

Writing well is at one and the same time good thinking, good feeling, and good expression; it is having wit, soul, and taste, all together.

If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul.

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

Of writing well the source and fountainhead is wise thinking.

To write is to think, and to write well is to think well.

An author arrives at a good style when his language performs what is required of it without shyness.

People who think well, write well

If you want to "get in touch with your feelings," fine, talk to yourself. We all do. But if you want to communicate with another thinking human being, get in touch with your thoughts. Put them in order, give them a purpose, use them to persuade, to instruct, to discover, to seduce. The secret way to do this is to write it down, and then cut out the confusing parts.

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.

If you can't write clearly, you probably don't think nearly as well as you think you do.

I have always wanted to write in such a way that will make people think, Why, I've always thought that but never found the words for it.

It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.

Sound judgment is the ground of writing well.

Nature's chief masterpiece is writing well.

I think that as you learn more about writing you learn to be direct.

I think what's really hard is making sense and making what you write clear and smooth-flowing.

There is no satisfactory explanation of style, no infallible guide to good writing, no assurance that a person who thinks clearly will be able to write clearly, no key that unlocks the door, no inflexible rules by which the young writer may steer his course. He will often find himself steering by stars that are disturbingly in motion.

Clarity in language depends on clarity in thought.

I see but one rule: to be clear.

it is all very well for you to write simply and the simpler the better. But do not start to think so damned simply. Know how complicated it is and then state it simply.

The secret of all good writing is sound judgment.

When talented people write badly, it's generally for one of two reasons: Either they're blinded by an idea they feel compelled to prove of they're driven by an emotion they must express. When talented people write well, it is generally for this reason: They're moved by a desire to touch the audience.

The art of writing is not, as many seem to imagine, the art of bringing fine phrases into rhythmical order, but the art of placing before the reader intelligible symbols of the thoughts and feelings in the writer's mind.

Uncommon things must be said in common words, if you would have them to be received in less than a century.

I enjoy writing. I enjoy communicating and connecting.