---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good authors, too, who once knew better…"
description: "\"Good authors, too, who once knew better words Now use only four-letter words Writing prose - Anything goes\" — Cole Porter"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/cole-porter-14204_writers_good-authors-too-who-once-knew-better-wo_664146.jpg"
---

#  Good authors, too, who once knew better words Now use only…

![“Good authors, too, who once knew better words Now use only four-letter words Writing prose - Anything goes” quote by Cole Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/cole-porter-14204_writers_good-authors-too-who-once-knew-better-wo_664146.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/cole-porter-14204_writers_good-authors-too-who-once-knew-better-wo_664146.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/cole-porter-14204_writers_good-authors-too-who-once-knew-better-wo_664146.jpg)

> “Good authors, too, who once knew better words Now use only four-letter words Writing prose - Anything goes”

[Cole Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-porter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The poet critiques modern writers for abandoning rich language in favor of simple, limited vocabulary.

**In simple terms:** Criticism of oversimplified writing.

Key Takeaway

Value depth and variety in expression.

Themes

language literature authenticity

Mood

nostalgic critical

Type

poetic cautionary

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- editing
- teaching literature
- publishing

Key Concepts

semantic richness artistic integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- When is simple language appropriate?
- How does word choice affect impact?

A Different Perspective

Simplicity can aid clarity for some audiences.

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[Good authors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-authors/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Prose Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose-goes-5286799/) [Words Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-writing-531996/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-prose-400360/)

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> [I don't think there's any essential difference, at least for me, between writing poetry and writing prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-essential-difference-at-least-for-me/)

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> [I am interested in the confines of the page and busting through/off the page as well. A writer must let go of the line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-am-interested-in-the-confines-of-the-page-and-busting-through-off/)

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> [I love writing prose. I really love writing prose. It's very pleasurable for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-liu/i-love-writing-prose-i-really-love-writing-prose-it-s-very/)

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> [For me, poetry is an evasion of the real job of writing prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/for-me-poetry-is-an-evasion-of-the-real-job-of-writing-prose/)

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## More by Cole Porter

> [In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking but now, God knows, anything goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-porter/in-olden-days-a-glimpse-of-stocking-was-looked-on-as-something/)

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> [Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but that's the only way you can do anything really good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/get-it-down-take-chances-it-may-be-bad-but-that-s-the-only-way-you/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

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