---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You really burden the reader if you put…"
description: "\"You really burden the reader if you put things in but, \"Oh, it's not interesting, but I'll put it in anyway.\" Then the reader's going to think, like, \"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/david-sedaris-333_books_you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put_441246.png"
---

#  You really burden the reader if you put things in but…

![“You really burden the reader if you put things in but, &quot;Oh, it's not interesting, but I'll put it in anyway.&quot; Then the reader's going to think, like, &quot;Mmm... no thanks.&quot; So the thing is to cut all that stuff out before its published.” quote by David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/david-sedaris-333_books_you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put_441246.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/david-sedaris-333_books_you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put_441246.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/david-sedaris-333_books_you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put_441246.png)

> “You really burden the reader if you put things in but, "Oh, it's not interesting, but I'll put it in anyway." Then the reader's going to think, like, "Mmm... no thanks." So the thing is to cut all that stuff out before its published.”

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

## About This Quote

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

Unnecessary content burdens readers; editors should remove it before publication.

**In simple terms:** Remove fluff to respect readers.

Key Takeaway

Edit ruthlessly.

Themes

editing readers clarity

Mood

thoughtful pragmatic

Type

literary instructional

When to use this quote

- manuscript revision
- publishing
- self‑editing
- content strategy

Key Concepts

conciseness authorial discipline

Questions to Reflect On

- What is the balance between detail and brevity?
- How does editing shape reader experience?

A Different Perspective

Over‑editing may strip voice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Burden Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden-reader-3869373/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Reader Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-going-241537/) [Reader Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-things-3335284/) [Really Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-burden-3869374/) [Stuff Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff-published-3645073/) [Thanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanks/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [Humor is necessary - it allows the reader to come up for air before dunking them under again. I need humor and I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/humor-is-necessary-it-allows-the-reader-to-come-up-for-air-before/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [When you're writing stuff that's already clotted with neologisms and trying to get across fairly abstruse concepts, you're already putting a heavy burden on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/when-you-re-writing-stuff-that-s-already-clotted-with-neologisms-and/)

[Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/)

> [I have a lot of stuff that I never published because I always had a sense that novels were not finally going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-have-a-lot-of-stuff-that-i-never-published-because-i-always-had-a/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [I think people forget that bipartisanship is really the burden of the victor, not the loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-think-people-forget-that-bipartisanship-is-really-the-burden-of-the/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

> [I am a very slow reader. I have to have things written in a pithy way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hancock/i-am-a-very-slow-reader-i-have-to-have-things-written-in-a-pithy-way/)

[Matt Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hancock/)

> [I'm not an enormous proponent of plot as a reader. It's about other things; my reading has become specialized over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-m-not-an-enormous-proponent-of-plot-as-a-reader-it-s-about-other/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [Whenever you have two characters in a book, whether it's a novel or nonfiction, you run the risk that the reader is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whenever-you-have-two-characters-in-a-book-whether-it-s-a-novel-or/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Reading is one of the most individual things that happens. So every reader is going to read a piece in a slightly different way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/reading-is-one-of-the-most-individual-things-that-happens-so-every/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/the-main-thing-i-try-to-do-is-write-as-clearly-as-i-can-because-i/)

[E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/)

> [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/)

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/)

> [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Trump's enduring appeal is a resource to be harnessed by the Republican Party, not a burden to be jettisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/trump-s-enduring-appeal-is-a-resource-to-be-harnessed-by-the/)

[Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/)

> [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/)

[Simone Abou Samra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-abou-samra/)

> [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/)

[Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/)

## More by David Sedaris

> [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“never fall asleep in a Dumpster, never underestimate a bee, never drive a convertible behind a flatbed truck, never get old, never get drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/never-fall-asleep-in-a-dumpster-never-underestimate-a-bee-never-drive/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“It was a father, one hand resting teapot-style on his hip, and the other - what would be the spout - formed into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-was-a-father-one-hand-resting-teapot-style-on-his-hip-and-the/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“A Japanese woman we’d met in Paris came to the apartment yesterday and spent several hours explaining our appliances. The microwave, the water kettle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/a-japanese-woman-we-d-met-in-paris-came-to-the-apartment-yesterday/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [One thing I like about the United States, and I kind of miss about the United States, is there's an election coming up here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/one-thing-i-like-about-the-united-states-and-i-kind-of-miss-about-the/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [When you read comic material and people aren't laughing how do you know they're listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/when-you-read-comic-material-and-people-aren-t-laughing-how-do-you/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“You have how many children in your family?" the teacher would ask. "I'm guessing you must be Catholic, am I right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-have-how-many-children-in-your-family-the-teacher-would-ask-i-m/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“Like most seasoned phonies, I roundly suspect that everyone is as disingenuous as I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/like-most-seasoned-phonies-i-roundly-suspect-that-everyone-is-as/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [As a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/as-a-child-i-assumed-that-when-i-reached-adulthood-i-would-have-grown/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“You just take and take don´t you? Out there with your thumb in the air—not a care in the world, just grabbing whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-just-take-and-take-don-t-you-out-there-with-your-thumb-in-the-air/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [In other parts of the country people tried to stay together for the sake of the children. In New York they tried to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-other-parts-of-the-country-people-tried-to-stay-together-for-the/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [My boyfriend got me a computer three years ago. I'll admit it does make things a lot easier. When I was working on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/my-boyfriend-got-me-a-computer-three-years-ago-i-ll-admit-it-does/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [I spent months searching for some secret code before I realized that common sense has nothing to do with it. Hysteria, psychosis, torture, depression:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-spent-months-searching-for-some-secret-code-before-i-realized-that/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [I hated leaving a hole in the smoking world, and so I recruited someone to take my place. People have given me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hated-leaving-a-hole-in-the-smoking-world-and-so-i-recruited/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/write-relentlessly-until-you-find-your-voice-then-use-it/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

[Explore all 667 David Sedaris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You really burden the reader if you put things in but, \"Oh, it's not interesting, but I'll put it in anyway.\" Then the reader's going to think, like, \"Mmm... no thanks.\" So the thing is to cut all that stuff out before its published.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Sedaris"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put-things-in-but-oh-it-s-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put-things-in-but-oh-it-s-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/david-sedaris-333_books_you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put_441246.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/david-sedaris-333_books_you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put_441246.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/david-sedaris-333_books_you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put_441246.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You really burden the reader if you put things in but, \"Oh, it's not interesting, but I'll put it in…” — David Sedaris",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "David Sedaris",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You really burden the reader if...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put-things-in-but-oh-it-s-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-really-burden-the-reader-if-you-put-things-in-but-oh-it-s-not/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
