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About this quote

What does it mean?
Excessive words obscure thinking; even major ideas can be expressed clearly in under 200 words.
In plain terms
Too many words hide meaning; clear thought fits in short text.
What can you take from it?
Clarity comes from brevity, not volume.

Where it applies

  • reporting
  • teaching
  • public speaking

Putting it to work

  • edit ruthlessly
  • aim for brevity
  • test clarity

Questions to consider

  • Can you summarize your main point in 200 words?
  • How do you avoid wordiness?

Another view

Complex topics sometimes need length to avoid oversimplification.

More from Eric Hoffer

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  3. How terribly hard and almost impossible it is to tell the truth. More than anything else, the artist in us prevents us from telling aught as it really happened…

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