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Brevity Quotes by Famous Authors

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1. “A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick – a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.”

Neil Gaiman

Short Story, Magic, Emotion, Brevity, Storytelling

2. “Goodbyes are overrated.”

Neil Gaiman

Farewells, Relationships, Sentiment, Brevity, Perspective

3. “You got a lifetime. No more. No less.”

Neil Gaiman

Life, Mortality, Perspective, Limitation, Brevity

4. “The books people are writing today, they're too long. You get a little bit of plot, and then pages and pages of Creative Writing. They teach classes in how to do this. They should teach classes in how to stop!”

Douglas Adams

Writing Criticism, Brevity, Education, Humor, Literary Trends

5. “It's guff. It doesn't advance the action. It makes for nice fat books such as the American market thrives on, but it doesn't actually get you anywhere.”

Douglas Adams

Writing Critique, Literary Market, Storytelling, Criticism, Brevity

6. “Space is unimaginably big.”

Douglas Adams

Space, Scale, Brevity, Perspective, Awe

7. “Time is bunk.”

Douglas Adams

Time, Philosophy, Brevity, Dismissal, Perspective

8. “Earth: mostly harmless.”

Douglas Adams

Brevity, Humor, Perspective, Understatement, Hitchhiker’s Guide

9. “There are few things in life worse than a long-winded lawyer.”

John Grisham

Legal Profession, Humor, Communication, Professional Critique, Brevity

10. “One fairy night, May became June.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Time, Change, Seasons, Magic, Brevity

11. “A word too much always defeats its purpose.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

Communication, Brevity, Clarity, Effectiveness, Language

12. “Life is short and truth works far and lives long: let us speak the truth.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

Life, Truth, Brevity, Authenticity, Communication

13. “The shortness of life, so often lamented, may be the best thing about it.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

Life, Brevity, Reflection, Value Of Time, Existential Perspective

14. “True brevity of expression consists in a man only saying what is worth saying, while avoiding all diffuse explanations of things which everyone can think out for himself.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

Brevity, Expression, Clarity, Communication, Meaningful Dialogue

15. “I'm going to write ceaselessly about the dignity of human beings no matter who and or what they are, and the less dignity a person has the fewer words I'll use.”

Jack Kerouac

Dignity, Writing, Humanity, Brevity, Human Value

16. “Maybe that's what life is a wink of the eye and winking stars.”

Jack Kerouac

Life, Brevity, Universe, Cosmic Perspective, Existential Thoughts

17. “Never use two words when one will do.”

Thomas Jefferson

Brevity, Communication, Clarity, Efficiency, Writing

18. “Well, sir, let us do what we can to curtail this visit, which can hardly be agreeable to you, and is inexpressibly irksome to me.”

Arthur Conan Doyle

Social Interaction, Politeness, Discomfort, Brevity, Interpersonal Relations

19. “How short life is for fools.”

Orson Scott Card

Foolishness, Mortality, Wisdom, Life Lessons, Brevity, Consequences

20. “Short stories are designed to deliver their impact in as few pages as possible. A tremendous amount is left out, and a good short story writer learns to include only the most essential information.”

Orson Scott Card

Writing, Brevity, Storytelling, Craft, Essentials, Literary Technique

21. “Stop and consider! life is but a day.”

John Keats

Reflection, Brevity, Mindfulness, Existence, Temporality, Awareness

22. “Cease, cows, life is short.”

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Life Lessons, Brevity, Simplicity, Nature, Time, Reflection

23. “The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.”

Voltaire

Bore Secret, Everything Tell, Brevity, Conversation

24. “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.”

Jim Rohn

Communication, Brevity, Clarity, Leadership, Influence