Compression Quote by Barbara Feldon
“Poetry is very crafted. You can't have too many words. It needs compression. It has to be spare, just the right number of words.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Literary discussion, 2018
Poetry requires compression; spare, precise language.
In simple terms: Poetry is concise.
Key Takeaway
Use precise, minimal words.
Themes
poetry
conciseness
craft
Mood
analytical
instructive
Type
educational
creative
When to use this quote
- creative writing
- public speaking
Key Concepts
editing
economy of language
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide what to omit?
- What words carry the most weight?
A Different Perspective
Over‑compression may lose nuance.
![“Only when the kulak refused to deliver grain to the State did [Joseph] Stalin, under the pressure of the Left Opposition, accomplish a sharp turn. Being the empiricist that he is, he moved, to the opposite extreme, and set as a task for two or three years the collectivization of all the peasantry…” quote by Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f5b/leon-trotsky-2558_accomplish_only-when-the-kulak-refused-to-deliver-g_958413.jpg)
![“At that time [90th in Lagos], if you drove through the city, you drove through a foreground that always seemed to be incredibly dramatic and incredibly agonised - smoking, burning, incredible compression. In the first year we stayed on the ground and went everywhere. But then in order to discover…” quote by Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aea/rem-koolhaas-5371_abandoned_at-that-time-90th-in-lagos-if-you-drove_669157.jpg)
![“Do they [the publishers of Murphy] not understand that if the book is slightly obscure it is because it is a compression and thatto compress it further can only make it more obscure?” quote by Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b11/samuel-beckett-365_book_do-they-the-publishers-of-murphy-not-und_1356931.jpg)
