My four articles of faith: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.
Interpretation
The quote advocates for clear, simple, and concise communication, emphasizing the importance of humanity in expression.
William Zinsser's quote highlights four essential principles for effective communication. By prioritizing clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity, Zinsser encourages individuals to convey their ideas in a manner that is accessible and relatable to others. This approach fosters understanding and connection, making communication more impactful.
In practice
In a presentation to help colleagues, I would start with Zinsser's quote to emphasize the importance of clear communication.
Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things that people do
Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft. Bach and Picasso didn't spring full-blown as Bach or Picasso; they needed models. This is especially true of writing.
Good writing is lean and confident.
I have no interest in teaching writers how to sell. I want to teach them how to write. If the process is sound, the product will take care of itself, and sales are likely to follow.
Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. . . . Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of the reader's trust. Readers want a writer who believes in himself and in what he is saying. Don't diminish that belief. Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.
Noise is the typographical error and the poorly designed page...Ambiguity is noise. Redundancy is noise. Misuse of words is noise. Vagueness is noise. Jargon is noise.
I know that no business contract, no order or commercial consideration can ever be worth the happiness of one's home or the peace of one's mind.
But far more numerous was the herd of such, Who think too little, and who talk too much.
We are creatures of our thinking. We can talk ourselves into defeat or we can talk ourselves into victory.
Grandfather's been dead all these years, but if you lifted my skull, by God, in the convolutions of my brain you'd find the big ridges of his thumbprint. He touched me. As I said earlier, he was a sculptor. 'I hate a Roman named Status Quo!' he said to me. 'Stuff your eyes with wonder,' he said, 'live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.
Let us not only remember the past and its required sacrifice, let us also remember that we are responsible to build a legacy for the generations which follow us.
On good days, if you trust life, life has to answer you.
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