Apparent Quote by Edward Sapir

These examples of the lack of simplicity in English and French, all appearances to the contrary, could be multiplied almost without limit and apply…

— Edward Sapir

Simplicity is no longer presented as a virtue. The value of complex and difficult language has been preached with such insistence that the public…

— John Ralston Saul

“Simplicity may be simple, but like complexity it requires linguistic precision, and may therefore call for relatively obscure expressions at times.”

— John White

And simple truth miscalled simplicity

— William Shakespeare

“Simplicity is a kind of transparency in which subtle nuances can have outsize effects. When everything is visible and appears to be dumb, that’s…

— David Byrne

The genius of the French language, descended from its single Latin stock, has triumphed most in the contrary direction - in simplicity, in unity,…

— Lytton Strachey

Affected simplicity is an elegant imposture.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I thought that strange syntax was the language of story books. I didn't realize those were poor translations... English from Edwardian times.

— Sandra Cisneros

The language that reveals also obscures.

— Wendell Berry

Simplicity is a delicate imposition.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I thought English is a strange language. Now I think French is even more strange. In France, their fish is poisson, their bread is…

— Xiaolu Guo

Affected simplicity is a subtle imposture.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld