--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't write anything you can phone. Don't…" description: "\"Don't write anything you can phone. Don't phone anything you can talk. Don't talk anything you can whisper. Don't whisper anything you can smile. Don't..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/earl-long-62536_happiness_don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t_1730980.png" --- # Don't write anything you can phone. Don't phone anything… ![“Don't write anything you can phone. Don't phone anything you can talk. Don't talk anything you can whisper. Don't whisper anything you can smile. Don't smile anything you can nod. Don't nod anything you can wink.” quote by Earl Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/earl-long-62536_happiness_don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t_1730980.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/earl-long-62536_happiness_don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t_1730980.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/earl-long-62536_happiness_don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t_1730980.png) > “Don't write anything you can phone. Don't phone anything you can talk. Don't talk anything you can whisper. Don't whisper anything you can smile. Don't smile anything you can nod. Don't nod anything you can wink.” [Earl Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-long/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates for concise communication: use the simplest, briefest method available for each message. **In simple terms:** Choose the simplest way to convey a message. Key Takeaway Communicate efficiently. Themes communication efficiency clarity Mood pragmatic thoughtful Type advice practical When to use this quote - business emails - text messaging - customer service - personal conversations Key Concepts information theory social interaction Questions to Reflect On - When is brevity harmful? - How do you decide the appropriate medium? A Different Perspective Over‑simplification can cause misunderstandings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“This is a Lucent PBX with Audix voice mail, right? I used this kind at all of my old jobs, so I'm pretty familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-lancaster/this-is-a-lucent-pbx-with-audix-voice-mail-right-i-used-this-kind-at/) [Jen Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-lancaster/) > [Danger will wink on opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/danger-will-wink-on-opportunity/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Wear pink and make the boys wink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-pulitzer/wear-pink-and-make-the-boys-wink/) [Lilly Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-pulitzer/) > [Wink at small faults; remember thou hast great ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/wink-at-small-faults-remember-thou-hast-great-ones/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [SHAKE ME till you BREAK ME. (wink)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/shake-me-till-you-break-me-wink/) [ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/) > [I have not slept one wink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-have-not-slept-one-wink/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I can see it in her eye cause she wink, and she toasts me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/i-can-see-it-in-her-eye-cause-she-wink-and-she-toasts-me/) [Ne-yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [If you want me, it takes more than a wink, more than a drink and more than you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-me-it-takes-more-than-a-wink-more-than-a-drink-and-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Play along, the wink said. I'll get you out of this. At least Artemis hoped this was what his wink communicated and not something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/play-along-the-wink-said-i-ll-get-you-out-of-this-at-least-artemis/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [I do not think I should care to go on worshipping a Madonna even if she did wink. One cannot make much out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-do-not-think-i-should-care-to-go-on-worshipping-a-madonna-even-if/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [The eye is the casement at which the heart generally looks out. Many a woman who will not show herself at the door, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-eye-is-the-casement-at-which-the-heart-generally-looks-out-many-a/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [Baby, not a wink I could go for days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-walker/baby-not-a-wink-i-could-go-for-days/) [Clay Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-walker/) > [“Gotta concentrate, honey,” he smiled, then glanced at her with a wink. “And you looking at me the way you’re looking at me really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sibylla-matilde/gotta-concentrate-honey-he-smiled-then-glanced-at-her-with-a-wink-and/) [Sibylla Matilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sibylla-matilde/) > [Wink and shut their apprehensions up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marston/wink-and-shut-their-apprehensions-up/) [John Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marston/) > [“And eventually I realized that the reason I felt so peaceful was because Wink wasn’t taking stock. She wasn’t trying to figure out if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-genevieve-tucholke/and-eventually-i-realized-that-the-reason-i-felt-so-peaceful-was/) [April Genevieve Tucholke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-genevieve-tucholke/) ## More by Earl Long > [But I'm in favor of every religion with the possible exception of snake-chunking. Anybody that so presumes on how he stands with Providence that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/but-i-m-in-favor-of-every-religion-with-the-possible-exception-of/) [Earl Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-long/) > [A four-hundred-dollar suit on him would look like socks on a rooster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/a-four-hundred-dollar-suit-on-him-would-look-like-socks-on-a-rooster/) [Earl Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-long/) > [I can make them voting machines sing Home Sweet Home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/i-can-make-them-voting-machines-sing-home-sweet-home/) [Earl Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-long/) > [The kind of thing I'm good at is knowing every politician in the state and remembering where he itches. And I know where to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/the-kind-of-thing-i-m-good-at-is-knowing-every-politician-in-the/) [Earl Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-long/) [Explore all 5 Earl Long quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-long/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't write anything you can phone. Don't phone anything you can talk. Don't talk anything you can whisper. Don't whisper anything you can smile. Don't smile anything you can nod. Don't nod anything you can wink.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Earl Long" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t-phone-anything-you-can-talk/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t-phone-anything-you-can-talk/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/earl-long-62536_happiness_don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t_1730980.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/earl-long-62536_happiness_don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t_1730980.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/earl-long-62536_happiness_don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t_1730980.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't write anything you can phone. Don't phone anything you can talk. Don't talk anything you can whisper…” — Earl Long", "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": "Earl Long", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-long/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't write anything you can phone....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t-phone-anything-you-can-talk/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-long/don-t-write-anything-you-can-phone-don-t-phone-anything-you-can-talk/#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 } } ] } ```