Coventry Patmore Quotes

If you care about being thought credible and intelligent, do not use complex language where simpler language will do.

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

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

Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn't about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.

Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.

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.

He that will write well in any tongue, must follow this counsel of Aristotle, to speak as the common people do, to think as wise men do: and so should every man understand him, and the judgment of wise men allow him.

I've simplified much more in my writing. I say what I've got to say, not in metaphor.

Communication is about being effective, not always about being proper.

It seems to me that politicians ought to use the same words as other people.

I analyse in my own way, in very simple, no-jargon language. If somebody is talking in very complicated way, I never like that.

I do feel like the hardest thing is to do something simple and tap into whatever remains of our common language rather than cultivating your own willfully esoteric vocabulary.

The simpler you say it, the more eloquent it is.

Everything that can be said, can be said clearly.

Being incomprehensible offers unparalleled protection against having nothing to say...but writing with simplicity requires courage, for there is a danger that one will be overlooked, dismissed as simpleminded by those with a tenacious belief that the impassable prose is a hallmark of intelligence.

Write in such a way as that you can be readily understood by both the young and the old, by men as well as women, even by children.

There is nothing in philosophy which could not be said in everyday language.

I am completely attracted to the idea of simplicity, or at least removing things that seem unnecessary when trying to get an idea out there.

There are writers who pour out words, concepts that sound really important but that basically say nothing. I always tried to be as concise as possible, all to try and reach everyone, but especially the simple people, those who needed to be reached more than anyone else.

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

Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.

I believe if you want to convey a complex philosophy, it's advisable to keep it simple: day-to-day lingo.

The chief virtue that language can have is clearness, and nothing detracts from it so much as the use of unfamiliar words.

Aim for brevity while avoiding jargon.