--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For any writer, the ability to look at a…" description: "\"For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essentia..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg" --- # For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see… ![“For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essential. It's satisfying to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a more polished form: clear, economical, sharp.” quote by Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg) > “For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essential. It's satisfying to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a more polished form: clear, economical, sharp.” [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective writing involves trimming excess words to achieve clarity and precision. **In simple terms:** Cut unnecessary words for sharper prose. Key Takeaway Edit ruthlessly for clarity. Themes editing clarity conciseness craftsmanship Mood reflective analytical Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - academic essays - novel drafts - business reports - blog posts Key Concepts style revision economy of language Questions to Reflect On - When does editing become harmful? - How to balance brevity with depth? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can strip voice and nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Ability Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-look-375162/) [Altered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altered/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cut/) [Economical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economical/) [Emerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emerge/) [Essential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essential/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Look Sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-sentence-2743638/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Polished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polished/) [Revised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revised/) [Satisfying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfying/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence/) [Sentence Shrink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-shrink-6040588/) [Sentence Superfluous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-superfluous-6040589/) [Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sharp/) [Shrink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrink/) [Snap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snap/) [Superfluous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superfluous/) [Ultimately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimately/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability-2679379/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Writing is praying with me. You know a child would look up at every sentence and say, 'And what shall I say next?' That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-ridley-havergal/writing-is-praying-with-me-you-know-a-child-would-look-up-at-every/) [Frances Ridley Havergal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-ridley-havergal/) > [Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/every-human-being-has-hundreds-of-separate-people-living-under-his-2/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [The road to wisdom is paved with excess. The mark of a true writer is their ability to mystify the familiar and familiarize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/the-road-to-wisdom-is-paved-with-excess-the-mark-of-a-true-writer-is/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [I actually was a writer who had the ability to perform his own work as opposed to a comedian who wrote his own material.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-actually-was-a-writer-who-had-the-ability-to-perform-his-own-work/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [ The most important thing a writer can have \[is\] the ability to live with the constant loneliness and a strong sense of revulsion for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-most-important-thing-a-writer-can-have-is-the-ability-to-live/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [What interests me very much as a writer is the ability for writing to have our lives to be occupied so vividly by others.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/what-interests-me-very-much-as-a-writer-is-the-ability-for-writing-to/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [As for most writers, language is vital for me: a writer's ability to render a fictional world - characters, landscape, emotions - into something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinaw-mengestu/as-for-most-writers-language-is-vital-for-me-a-writer-s-ability-to/) [Dinaw Mengestu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinaw-mengestu/) > [“The best thing about being a writer is the ability to live vicariously through your own imagination, with no boundaries as to how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-goodwin/the-best-thing-about-being-a-writer-is-the-ability-to-live/) [Dawn Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-goodwin/) > [As every writer knows... there is something mysterious about the writer's ability, on any given day, to write. When the juices are flowing, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-every-writer-knows-there-is-something-mysterious-about-the-writer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Writing is emblematic art form, which means that the book will never be any greater than the writer’s ability to perceive, classify, and describe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-is-emblematic-art-form-which-means-that-the-book-will-never/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [To perceive the aura of an object we look at means to invest it with the ability to look at us in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/to-perceive-the-aura-of-an-object-we-look-at-means-to-invest-it-with/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [What makes a person is the ability to look at themselves and deal with their own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-campbell/what-makes-a-person-is-the-ability-to-look-at-themselves-and-deal/) [Naomi Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-campbell/) > [An ability to look into the confusing mess of life and see things for what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/an-ability-to-look-into-the-confusing-mess-of-life-and-see-things-for/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I'm kind of a builder of institutions. I think I've got some ability to look at what's out here, look at a playing field,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brock/i-m-kind-of-a-builder-of-institutions-i-think-i-ve-got-some-ability/) [David Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brock/) > [I'm lucky because I have the ability to look at the brighter side of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaneesh-murthy/i-m-lucky-because-i-have-the-ability-to-look-at-the-brighter-side-of/) [Phaneesh Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaneesh-murthy/) ## More by Francine Prose > [“I'm out of the equation, an innocent bystander at the major love affair Joan is having with Joan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-m-out-of-the-equation-an-innocent-bystander-at-the-major-love/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [I went through college in the 1960s without having any idea that I was going to have to make a living. When I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-went-through-college-in-the-1960s-without-having-any-idea-that-i/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/all-the-elements-of-good-writing-depend-on-the-writer-s-skill-in/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“She emerges from the station directly across from the restaurant. And she's right on time. Like magic, Sonya thinks, briefly saddened to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/she-emerges-from-the-station-directly-across-from-the-restaurant-and/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Like, for example, sleeve length. Should he hide the tattoos? Or just wear a T-shirt and let "them" do the talking? If one picture's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/like-for-example-sleeve-length-should-he-hide-the-tattoos-or-just/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Consequently, we sympathize. We identify. We care. In fact, most writers would like you to identify”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/consequently-we-sympathize-we-identify-we-care-in-fact-most-writers/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“A woman would have to be crazy to marry, or even have sex with, a man who would prosecute every lover’s quarrel like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/a-woman-would-have-to-be-crazy-to-marry-or-even-have-sex-with-a-man/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [I know a lot of Eastern Europeans, and because of what they have been through and what they have seen, they have an attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-know-a-lot-of-eastern-europeans-and-because-of-what-they-have-been/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“I’ve always thought that a close-reading course should at least be a companion, if not an alternative, to the writing workshop. Though it also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-ve-always-thought-that-a-close-reading-course-should-at-least-be-a/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Not all great writers may seem great to us, regardless of how often and how hard we try to see their virtues. I know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/not-all-great-writers-may-seem-great-to-us-regardless-of-how-often/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [Like seeing a photograph of yourself as a child, encountering handwriting that you know was once yours but that now seems only dimly familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/like-seeing-a-photograph-of-yourself-as-a-child-encountering/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > ['One Hundred Years of Solitude' convinced me to drop out of Harvard graduate school. The novel reminded me of everything my Ph.D. program was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/one-hundred-years-of-solitude-convinced-me-to-drop-out-of-harvard/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Maybe real love is being able to ask, Do I have greens in my teeth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/maybe-real-love-is-being-able-to-ask-do-i-have-greens-in-my-teeth/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [With this recitation of paraphernalia and detritus, O'Brien manages to encapsulate the experience of an army and of a particular war, of a mined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/with-this-recitation-of-paraphernalia-and-detritus-o-brien-manages-to/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“The repetitions, meaningless expressions, stammers, and nonsensical monosyllables with which we express hesitation, along with the clichés and banalities that constitute so much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/the-repetitions-meaningless-expressions-stammers-and-nonsensical/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) [Explore all 73 Francine Prose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essential. 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