Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writ...
— Strunk & White
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Strunk and White's 'The Elements of Style' has been the bible of clear writing since 1918. This passage encapsulates their entire philosophy in a single paragraph: vigorous writing is concise. The authors practice what they preach—every word demonstrates the principle being taught.
Parallel Structure:
'A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences'—the repetition of structure makes the rule feel inevitable and complete.Concrete Analogy:
Comparing writing to drawing and machines ('no unnecessary lines... no unnecessary parts') makes an abstract concept immediately understandable.Preemptive Objection:
'This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short' anticipates and answers the obvious misreading, showing intellectual honesty.Concision isn't about writing less—it's about making every word count. The goal is density of meaning, not brevity for its own sake.
Chapter 2: Clarity & Simplicity
Say more by saying less. Straight, unornamented, deliberate writing.
On the Art of Writing
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Walden: On Simplicity
Henry David Thoreau
Self-Reliance
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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