William Strunk, Jr. Quotes

28 quotes in 414 categories

• Remember, it is no sign of weakness or defeat that your manuscript ends up in need of major surgery. This is a common occurrence in…
• The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.
• If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud!
• It is worse to be irresolute than to be wrong.
• Make definite assertions. Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, non-committal language.
• The surest way to arouse and hold the attention of the reader is by being specific, definitive, and concrete. The greatest writers - Homer, Dante,…
• A drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
• The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place,
• The approach to style is by way of plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity.
• A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.
• In exposition and in argument, the writer must likewise never lose his hold upon the concrete; and even when he is dealing with general principles,…
• In his Philosophy of Style, Herbert Spencer gives two sentences to illustrate how the vague and general can be turned into the vivid and particular:…
• This book is intended for use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature. It aims to…
• Vigorous writing is concise.
• Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you have and cut it to ribbons ... Good writing means good revising.
• Opinions scattered indiscriminately about leave the mark of egotism.
• 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…
• If you use a colloquialism or a slang word or phrase, simply use it; do not draw attention to it by enclosing it in quotation…
• Do not, therefore, say "I feel nauseous," unless you are sure you have that effect on others.
• ...when a sentence is made stronger, it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.

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