That idea has lasted because it pushes writers to think beyond expression alone and toward structure, clarity, and control. The result is prose that feels tighter, cleaner, and more confident, not because it says less for the sake of less, but because it wastes nothing.
but about shaping it so that nothing weakens its effect.
The passage treats writing as a form of design. A paragraph should work like a well-built machine, with each part serving a purpose and nothing included out of habit or vanity.
Their point is that strong prose depends on discipline, not accumulation. Just as a clean drawing gains power from the absence of stray lines, a sentence gains force when every word earns its place. The quote argues that being concise is not about making writing thin or bare,
#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #ebwhite #strunk #ElementsofStyle
William Strunk Jr. (1869-1946) and E. B. White (1899-1985) present writing as a craft of removal as much as creation.
“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.” ―William Strunk Jr. & E. B. White From “The Elements of Style” (Pub. 1959 Macmillan) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #ebwhite #strunk #ElementsofStyle William Strunk Jr. (1869-1946) and E. B. White (1899-1985) present writing as a craft of removal as much as creation. Their point is that strong prose depends on discipline, not accumulation. Just as a clean drawing gains power from the absence of stray lines, a sentence gains force when every word earns its place. The quote argues that being concise is not about making writing thin or bare, but about shaping it so that nothing weakens its effect. The passage treats writing as a form of design. A paragraph should work like a well-built machine, with each part serving a purpose and nothing included out of habit or vanity. That idea has lasted because it pushes writers to think beyond expression alone and toward structure, clarity, and control. The result is prose that feels tighter, cleaner, and more confident, not because it says less for the sake of less, but because it wastes nothing.
“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.”
―William Strunk Jr. & E. B. White
From “The Elements of Style” (1959 Macmillan)
This quote suggests that necessity can sharpen focus more effectively than comfort ever will. Even without a verified source, the line sticks because it captures a truth many writers recognize: the blank page tends to lose arguments when real pressure starts breathing down its neck.
The line reflects the uneasy relationship between creativity and survival. Writers often imagine they need perfect time, calm, and freedom before they can produce good work, but real life rarely grants those luxuries.
The humor works because it strips away romantic ideas about the writing life and replaces them with something harsher and more honest: urgency often accomplishes what inspiration alone does not.
The quote turns two grim realities into a dark joke about motivation. Its point is that writing often gets done not when conditions are ideal, but when pressure becomes unavoidable. Poverty represents material necessity, and death represents the ultimate deadline no one can negotiate with.
Source: I could not verify this line in a primary source such as a LaValle novel, essay, interview, speech, or official website. It appears widely on quote-aggregation sites, but those listings do not provide a traceable original source.
"The best writing deadlines are poverty and death." --Misattributed to Victor LaValle (1972- ) No source can be found #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #victorlavalle #misattributions Source: I could not verify this line in a primary source such as a LaValle novel, essay, interview, speech, or official website. It appears widely on quote-aggregation sites, but those listings do not provide a traceable original source. The quote turns two grim realities into a dark joke about motivation. Its point is that writing often gets done not when conditions are ideal, but when pressure becomes unavoidable. Poverty represents material necessity, and death represents the ultimate deadline no one can negotiate with. The humor works because it strips away romantic ideas about the writing life and replaces them with something harsher and more honest: urgency often accomplishes what inspiration alone does not. The line reflects the uneasy relationship between creativity and survival. Writers often imagine they need perfect time, calm, and freedom before they can produce good work, but real life rarely grants those luxuries. This quote suggests that necessity can sharpen focus more effectively than comfort ever will. Even without a verified source, the line sticks because it captures a truth many writers recognize: the blank page tends to lose arguments when real pressure starts breathing down its neck.
"The best writing deadlines are poverty and death."
--Misattributed to Victor LaValle (1972- )
No source can be found
#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #victorlavalle #misattributions
Nietzsche’s line implies that the most skillful authors trust their readers enough to be subtle, and that the most satisfying wit often works with precision instead of volume.
The quote points to a difference between surface amusement and intellectual pleasure. A barely perceptible smile suggests the reader has caught something delicate, ironic, or exact. The response is small because the effect is concentrated.
The sharpest writers can produce only the faintest smile, a reaction that comes from recognition, subtlety, and mental quickness rather than from spectacle. Wit, in this sense, is more refined than comedy that strains for effect.
The idea behind the line is that the finest wit is often restrained rather than noisy. Nietzsche is suggesting that truly intelligent humor does not need to announce itself with broad laughter or obvious punch lines.
From: "Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits." The quote is commonly indexed to that work, and searchable text versions show the thought in essentially that form, with minor translation variation such as “raise the least noticeable smile” or “raise a barely perceptible smile.”
"The wittiest authors evoke a barely perceptible smile." --Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) From “Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits” (1879) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #friedrichnietzsche From: "Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits." The quote is commonly indexed to that work, and searchable text versions show the thought in essentially that form, with minor translation variation such as “raise the least noticeable smile” or “raise a barely perceptible smile.” The idea behind the line is that the finest wit is often restrained rather than noisy. Nietzsche is suggesting that truly intelligent humor does not need to announce itself with broad laughter or obvious punch lines. The sharpest writers can produce only the faintest smile, a reaction that comes from recognition, subtlety, and mental quickness rather than from spectacle. Wit, in this sense, is more refined than comedy that strains for effect. The quote points to a difference between surface amusement and intellectual pleasure. A barely perceptible smile suggests the reader has caught something delicate, ironic, or exact. The response is small because the effect is concentrated. Nietzsche’s line implies that the most skillful authors trust their readers enough to be subtle, and that the most satisfying wit often works with precision instead of volume.
"The wittiest authors evoke a barely perceptible smile."
--Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
From “Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits” (1879)
#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #friedrichnietzsche
The enduring lesson is: "Don't just 'write short,' but 'write clean.' Brevity is the doorway, control is the craft."
but it does mean clarity should beat ornament when the two start wrestling in the aisle.
The saying reflects Hemingway’s whole approach to prose. He aimed for writing that felt immediate, hard, and uninflated, with emotion and meaning carried by precise detail rather than by decorative language.
strong writing usually works better when it is clear, direct, and stripped of extra padding. Short sentences force a writer to choose words carefully and make each thought land cleanly. That does not mean every sentence must be tiny,
“Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative.” Hemingway later praised those rules as “the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing.”
The idea behind the quote is simple and sharp:
Source: The exact wording “To be successful in writing, use short sentences” is best treated as a compressed paraphrase, not a securely sourced verbatim Hemingway sentence. The closest solid source is the Kansas City Star style sheet that shaped Hemingway early on:
"To be successful in writing, use short sentences." --Misattributed to Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) This is a compressed paraphrase, not a quote #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #ernesthemingway #misattributions Source: The exact wording “To be successful in writing, use short sentences” is best treated as a compressed paraphrase, not a securely sourced verbatim Hemingway sentence. The closest solid source is the Kansas City Star style sheet that shaped Hemingway early on: “Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative.” Hemingway later praised those rules as “the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing.” The idea behind the quote is simple and sharp: strong writing usually works better when it is clear, direct, and stripped of extra padding. Short sentences force a writer to choose words carefully and make each thought land cleanly. That does not mean every sentence must be tiny, but it does mean clarity should beat ornament when the two start wrestling in the aisle. The saying reflects Hemingway’s whole approach to prose. He aimed for writing that felt immediate, hard, and uninflated, with emotion and meaning carried by precise detail rather than by decorative language. The enduring lesson is: "Don't just 'write short,' but 'write clean.' Brevity is the doorway, control is the craft."
"To be successful in writing, use short sentences."
--Misattributed to Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
This is a compressed paraphrase, not a quote
#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #ernesthemingway #misattributions
That is probably why the line keeps getting recycled, reworded, and pinned to famous names: it is compact, memorable, and carries a comforting message without much extra luggage.
People often spend their energy replaying what already happened or worrying about what has not happened yet. This saying nudges the mind back to the current moment, suggesting that ordinary time itself has value.
Its appeal comes from that clean little turn at the end, where “present” becomes both a moment in time and a gift handed to us.
The quote encourages gratitude and attention instead of regret or anxiety.
The past is fixed and cannot be changed, and the future remains unknown, uncertain, and outside complete control. By calling today a gift, the saying shifts attention to the one part of life a person can actually inhabit and influence.
and then found a Family Circus variant by Bil Keane in August 1994: “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a GIFT. That’s why it’s called the present.”
The quote is built around a simple contrast between past, future, and present.
I could not verify that exact wording in a primary Bill Keane source. The best evidence says this is an older saying that circulated before it was attached to Bil Keane. Quote Investigator found a close version in June 1994 in a Vermont newspaper, presented as a “famous saying,”
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” ―Attributed to Bil Keane (1922-2011) Common maxim, not a quote of Bil Keane #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #BilKeane #Misattributed I could not verify that exact wording in a primary Bill Keane source. The best evidence says this is an older saying that circulated before it was attached to Bil Keane. Quote Investigator found a close version in June 1994 in a Vermont newspaper, presented as a “famous saying,” and then found a Family Circus variant by Bil Keane in August 1994: “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a GIFT. That’s why it’s called the present.” The quote is built around a simple contrast between past, future, and present. The past is fixed and cannot be changed, and the future remains unknown, uncertain, and outside complete control. By calling today a gift, the saying shifts attention to the one part of life a person can actually inhabit and influence. Its appeal comes from that clean little turn at the end, where “present” becomes both a moment in time and a gift handed to us. The quote encourages gratitude and attention instead of regret or anxiety. People often spend their energy replaying what already happened or worrying about what has not happened yet. This saying nudges the mind back to the current moment, suggesting that ordinary time itself has value. That is probably why the line keeps getting recycled, reworded, and pinned to famous names: it is compact, memorable, and carries a comforting message without much extra luggage.
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
―Attributed to Bil Keane (1922-2011)
Common maxim, not a quote of Bil Keane
#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #BilKeane #Misattributed