Quotes on Writing Words

As to the adjective: when in doubt, strike it out.

The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say.

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.

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.

I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.

Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

Easy reading is damn hard writing.

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very"; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.

No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement.