Doyle, Roddy -- In “Ten Rules for Writing Fiction,” The Guardian (20 Feb 2010)
Do keep a thesaurus, but in the shed at the back of the garden or behind the fridge, somewhere that demands travel or effort. Chances are the words that come into your head will do fine, e.g., “horse”,...
View ArticleHaldane, J.B.S. -- “Science and Theology as Art Forms,” Possible Worlds and...
In scientific thought we adopt the simplest theory which will explain all the facts under consideration and enable us to predict new facts of the same kind. The catch in this criterion lies in the word...
View ArticleShaw, George Bernard -- The Apple Cart, Preface (1928)
Like many men of genius, he could not understand why things obvious to him should not be so at once to other people, and found it easier to believe that they were corrupt than that they could be so...
View ArticleCooper, James Fenimore -- The American Democrat (1838)
Another fine quotation from WIST - Wish I'd Said That! . A refined simplicity is the characteristic of all high bred deportment, in every country.
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Simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish poet, wit, dramatist(Attributed) After Johnson.
View ArticleBrust, Steven -- Issola (2001)
Another fine quotation from WIST - Wish I'd Said That! . “Simple things are never problems,” I told her. “Unfortunate, maybe, but if it isn’t complicated, it isn’t really a problem.” The Goddess...
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Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth -- Kavanagh: A Tale (1849)
In character, in manners, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poetKavanagh: A Tale (1849)
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Lowell, James Russell -- “Jeffries Wyman,” The Nation #484 (8 Oct 1874)
The wisest man could ask no more of Fate Than to be simple, modest, manly, true, Safe from the Many, honored by the Few; To count as naught in World, or Church, or State, But inwardly in secret to be...
View ArticleRuskin, John -- The Eagle’s Nest, Lecture 5 “The Power of Contentment in...
What do you suppose makes all men look back to the time of childhood with so much regret (if their childhood has been, in any moderate degree, healthy or peaceful)? That rich charm, which the least...
View ArticlePratchett, Terry -- Reaper Man, ch. 17 (1991)
Another fine quotation from WIST - Wish I'd Said That! . A lot of this was beyond him, but to people like Ridcully this didn’t matter for very long. Ridcully was simple-minded. This doesn’t mean...
View ArticleWhittier, John Greenleaf -- (Attributed)
A little smile, a word of cheer, A bit of love from someone near, A little gift from one held dear, Best wishes for the coming year– These make a Merry Christmas! John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)...
View ArticleMorris, William -- “The Prospects of Architecture in Civilization,” speech,...
Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement: a sanded floor and whitewashed walls, and the green trees, and flowery meads, and living waters outside; or...
View ArticleSinclair, Upton -- The Profits of Religion, Book Two: “The Church of Good...
The supreme crime of the church to-day is that everywhere and in all its operations and influences it is on the side of sloth of mind; that it banishes brains, it sanctifies stupidity, it canonizes...
View ArticleBrault, Robert -- (Attributed)
Another fine quotation from WIST - Wish I'd Said That! . Everything we possess that is not necessary for life or happiness becomes a burden, and scarcely a day passes that we do not add to it.
View ArticleHouse, Cory -- Twitter (12 Nov 2013)
Another fine quotation from WIST - Wish I'd Said That! . Code is like humor. When you have to explain it, it’s bad.
View ArticleMuller, Max -- Chips from a German Workshop, Preface (1866)
It is necessary that we too should see the beam in our own eyes, and learn to distinguish between the Christianity of the nineteenth century and the religion of Christ. If we find that the Christianity...
View ArticleChanel, Coco -- (Attributed)
Another fine quotation from WIST - Wish I'd Said That! . To my mind, simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.
View ArticleCicero, Marcus Tullius -- De Officiis [On Duties; On Moral Duty; The...
Above all, the search after truth and its eager pursuit are peculiar to man. And so, when we have leisure from the demands of business cares, we are eager to see, to hear, to learn something new, and...
View ArticleMaugham, W. Somerset -- Cakes and Ale, ch. 11 (1930)
Beauty is an ecstasy; it is as simple as hunger. There is really nothing to be said about it. It is like the perfume of a rose: you can smell it and that is all. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) English...
View ArticleChurchill, Winston -- The Times Literary Award luncheon, London (2 Nov 1949)
Broadly speaking, short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all. Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman and authorThe Times Literary Award luncheon, London (2 Nov...
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