Why use a modifier to set straight a not-quite-right noun when the right noun is available? — William Safire Copy Share Image
Give your main clause a little space. Prose is not like boxing; the skilled writer deliberately telegraphs his punch, knowing that the… — William Safire Copy Share Image
It behooves us to avoid archaisms. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do. — William Safire Copy Share Image
By elevating your reading, you will improve your writing or at least tickle your thinking. — William Safire Copy Share Image
“Not long ago, I advertised for perverse rules of grammar, along the lines of "Remember to never split an infinitive" and "The… — William Safire Copy Share Image
If you want to "get in touch with your feelings," fine, talk to yourself. We all do. But if you want to… — William Safire Copy Share Image
Cast aside any column about two subjects. It means the pundit chickened out on the hard decision about what to write about… — William Safire Copy Share Image
“On the two-way street of communication, a happy symbiosis is achieved when a writer tosses up an offbeat usage or a puzzling… — William Safire Copy Share Image
Writers who used to show off their erudition no longer sing in the bare ruined choir of the media. — William Safire Copy Share Image
Decide on some imperfect Somebody and you will win, because the truest truism in politics is: You can't beat Somebody with Nobody. — William Safire Copy Share Image
Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight. — William Safire Copy Share Image
What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia… — William Safire Copy Share Image
This is what it's all about. From what I could see, you could get a bunch of people together, whip up the press and… — William Safire Copy Share Image
When I need to know the meaning of a word, I look it up in a dictionary. — William Safire Copy Share Image
A man who lies, thinking it is the truth, is an honest man, and a man who tells the truth, believing it to be… — William Safire Copy Share Image
The Latin motto over Poindexter's new Pentagon office reads Scientia Est Potentia - "knowledge is power." Exactly: the government's infinite knowledge about you is… — William Safire Copy Share Image
Today, war of necessity is used by critics of military action to describe unavoidable response to an attack like that on Pearl Harbor that… — William Safire Copy Share Image
