--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Online magazines such as Salon, Slate…" description: "\"“Online magazines such as Salon, Slate, and Suck, had already made an elementary discovery: a reader staring into the equivalent of a thirty-watt bulb ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/james-marcus-49544_books_online-magazines-such-as-salon-slate-and_2264672.jpg" --- # Online magazines such as Salon, Slate, and Suck, had… ![“Online magazines such as Salon, Slate, and Suck, had already made an elementary discovery: a reader staring into the equivalent of a thirty-watt bulb didn't want to confront thousands of words. The medium required a little extra white space, a sort of oasis for the optic nerve.” quote by James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/james-marcus-49544_books_online-magazines-such-as-salon-slate-and_2264672.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/james-marcus-49544_books_online-magazines-such-as-salon-slate-and_2264672.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/james-marcus-49544_books_online-magazines-such-as-salon-slate-and_2264672.jpg) > ““Online magazines such as Salon, Slate, and Suck, had already made an elementary discovery: a reader staring into the equivalent of a thirty-watt bulb didn't want to confront thousands of words. The medium required a little extra white space, a sort of oasis for the optic nerve. ”” [James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Readers prefer visual relief over dense text, needing whitespace to stay engaged. **In simple terms:** People need space to read comfortably. Key Takeaway Add white space to improve readability. Themes design media readability Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational analytical When to use this quote - web articles - newsletters - magazine layouts Key Concepts visual ergonomics attention span Questions to Reflect On - How does layout affect reader focus? - What balance of text and space works best? A Different Perspective Too much whitespace can reduce content density. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Magazine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazine/) [Magazines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazines/) [Magazines Salon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazines-salon-5223632/) [Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium/) [Online Magazines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/online-magazines-3482653/) [White space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-space/) [Words Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-medium-952748/) ## Related quotes > [The medium of poetry is not words, the medium of poetry is not lines-it is the motion of air inside the human body, coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/the-medium-of-poetry-is-not-words-the-medium-of-poetry-is-not-lines/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [If you're 25, I could see how you could be tricked into thinking 'Benji' is my most successful record, but I've been doing this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/if-you-re-25-i-could-see-how-you-could-be-tricked-into-thinking-benji/) [Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/) > [Magazines are another medium I love, because 95% is simply based on 'How the hell are we going to fill all this blank space?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/magazines-are-another-medium-i-love-because-95-is-simply-based-on-how/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [Witness Donald Trump's current presidential campaign. So first people need to find the white spaces, the unexploited or underexploited niches where there is less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/witness-donald-trump-s-current-presidential-campaign-so-first-people/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [“Nobody will do their best work until they have lots of white space on their calendars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-kelly/nobody-will-do-their-best-work-until-they-have-lots-of-white-space-on/) [Matthew Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-kelly/) > [“Scrawled in the album’s white space, in an angry deeply-pushed biro that indented even the next page, were some words paraphrased from Tennyson’s Locksley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-drinkwater/scrawled-in-the-album-s-white-space-in-an-angry-deeply-pushed-biro/) [Karl Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-drinkwater/) > [Mausoleum air and anguished pauses: If this production were a poem, it would be mostly white space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-corliss/mausoleum-air-and-anguished-pauses-if-this-production-were-a-poem-it/) [Richard Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-corliss/) > [I don't think there is anything wrong with white space. I don't think it's a problem to have a blank wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-don-t-think-there-is-anything-wrong-with-white-space-i-don-t-think/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [Singapore gives 10% "white space" time to all of its teachers to come up with their own innovations outside of the official curriculum. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-hargreaves/singapore-gives-10-white-space-time-to-all-of-its-teachers-to-come-up/) [Andy Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-hargreaves/) > [You can tell it's a poem because it's swimming in a little gel pack of white space. That shows it's a poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/you-can-tell-it-s-a-poem-because-it-s-swimming-in-a-little-gel-pack/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [Memory doesn't come as a straight narrative. It comes in small moments with all this white space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/memory-doesn-t-come-as-a-straight-narrative-it-comes-in-small-moments/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“By the time I got to high school, I had learned to be more cautious about revealing my dreams. I was reading—and therefore writing—adventure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-obreht/by-the-time-i-got-to-high-school-i-had-learned-to-be-more-cautious/) [Téa Obreht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-a-obreht/) > [I really felt like there was a white space in the market in the jewelry industry. There was very, very overpriced things that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-scott/i-really-felt-like-there-was-a-white-space-in-the-market-in-the/) [Kendra Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-scott/) > [There must be an open space in the paintings - an entry space for the viewer, or even for me. Just white space where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-bisky/there-must-be-an-open-space-in-the-paintings-an-entry-space-for-the/) [Norbert Bisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-bisky/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) [Giambattista Bodoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-bodoni/) ## More by James Marcus > [“We were a religious sect consisting of two people, and now half the congregation was gone. There would be no closure, no healing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marcus/we-were-a-religious-sect-consisting-of-two-people-and-now-half-the/) [James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) > [Some say vegetarianism is an alternative diet, but it is the original diet, the plan designed by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marcus/some-say-vegetarianism-is-an-alternative-diet-but-it-is-the-original/) [James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) > [Spaying is a compromise in terms of reverence for life, but perhaps a necessary one in a society which kills millions of dogs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marcus/spaying-is-a-compromise-in-terms-of-reverence-for-life-but-perhaps-a/) [James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) > [I'm good with machines. I know where to scratch, pet, and tickle them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marcus/i-m-good-with-machines-i-know-where-to-scratch-pet-and-tickle-them/) [James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) > [Like his admirer Samuel Beckett, Johnson locates his voices among conditions of such deprivation that even the most miserable memories are gilded by comparison:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marcus/like-his-admirer-samuel-beckett-johnson-locates-his-voices-among/) [James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) > [I have an animal friendly Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marcus/i-have-an-animal-friendly-bible/) [James Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) [Explore all 7 James Marcus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marcus/) ## 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": "“Online magazines such as Salon, Slate, and Suck, had already made an elementary discovery: a reader staring into the equivalent of a thirty-watt bulb didn't want to confront thousands of words. 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