All William Zinsser Quotes
- If writing seems hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things people do. Hard
- Writing is thinking on paper. Inspirational
- Writing and learning and thinking are the same process. Inspirational
- Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading. Easy
- To defend what you've written is a sign that you are alive. Alive
- I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it. Act
- Be grateful for every word you can cut. Cut
- Writing improves in direct ratio to the things we can keep out of it that shouldn't be there. Direct
- Don't try to guess what sort of thing editors want to publish or what you think the country is in a mood to read. Editors… Always Looking
- Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft. Bach and Picasso didn't… Another Writer
- I have no interest in teaching writers how to sell. I want to teach them how to write. If the process is sound, the product… Care
- There are all kinds of writers and all kinds of methods, and any method that helps you to say what you want to say is… All
- Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. . . . Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of the… Belief
- My four articles of faith: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity. Articles
- My commodity as a writer, whatever I'm writing about, is me. And your commodity is you. Don't alter your voice to fit the subject. Develop… Alter
- Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon. American
- Finding a voice that your readers will enjoy is largely a matter of taste. Saying that isn't much help-taste is a quality so intangible that… Defined
- Good writers are visible just behind their words. Behind
- Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember… Accident
- Good writing is lean and confident. Confident
- Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with "but." If that's what you learned, unlearn it - there's no stronger word at… Announces
- Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly should be able to write clearly-about any subject at all. Able
- Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity. Basic
- Decide what you want to do. Then decide to do it. Then do it. Decide
- Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person. Audience