Accidents Quote by Ernest Hemingway
“it wasn't by accident that the Gettysburg address was so short.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Gettysburg Address reference, 1930s lecture
The brevity of the Gettysburg Address was intentional, reflecting the power of concise, impactful language.
In simple terms: Short speeches can be powerful.
Key Takeaway
Value concise, purposeful communication.
Themes
brevity
communication
historical rhetoric
Mood
reflective
educational
Type
historical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- political speeches
- presentations
- writing drafts
Key Concepts
literature
public speaking
Questions to Reflect On
- When is brevity more effective than detail?
- How can you convey depth in few words?
A Different Perspective
Over‑conciseness may omit necessary nuance.
![“The people who visit the [Lincoln] memorial always look like an advertisement for democracy, so bizarrely, suspiciously diverse that one time I actually saw a man in a cowboy hat standing there reading the Gettysburg Address next to a Hasidic Jew. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had linked…” quote by Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3fe/sarah-vowell-2016_addresses_the-people-who-visit-the-lincoln-memoria_1143653.jpg)
![“[T]he only thing wrong with Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was that it was the South, not the North, that was fighting for a government of the people, by the people and for the people.” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b4e/h-l-mencken-245_abraham_t-he-only-thing-wrong-with-abraham-linco_1672393.jpg)
