--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good style in prose is always hostage to…" description: "\"Good style in prose is always hostage to the precision, speed, and laconic intensity of poetic diction.\" — Joseph Brodsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png" --- # Good style in prose is always hostage to the precision… ![“Good style in prose is always hostage to the precision, speed, and laconic intensity of poetic diction.” quote by Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png) > “Good style in prose is always hostage to the precision, speed, and laconic intensity of poetic diction.” [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prose must adopt poetic precision, speed, and brevity for impact. **In simple terms:** Prose needs poetic sharpness. Key Takeaway Write with concise, vivid language. Themes style precision poetics Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary practical When to use this quote - creative writing - journalism - academic papers Key Concepts Linguistic economy artistic intensity Questions to Reflect On - How can you blend poetry with prose? - When does brevity hinder clarity? A Different Perspective Over‑editing may strip personality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Laconic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laconic/) [Laconic Intensity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laconic-intensity-3668383/) [Poetic Diction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic-diction-3668382/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) [Prose Hostage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose-hostage-3668381/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Style Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style-prose-3668384/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Old English poetry also contained a wide range of conventional poetic diction, many of the words being created to allow alliterative patterns to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-carter/old-english-poetry-also-contained-a-wide-range-of-conventional-poetic/) [Ronald Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-carter/) > [I am a pretty omnivoracious reader in respect to prose style, but if the prose doesn't have its own music, if the relationship to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-am-a-pretty-omnivoracious-reader-in-respect-to-prose-style-but-if/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I love the English language just like I love all American things. 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Once, in flight school, I was laconic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-whedon/she-s-terse-i-can-be-terse-once-in-flight-school-i-was-laconic/) [Josh Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-whedon/) > [That city is well fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-city-is-well-fortified-which-has-a-wall-of-men-instead-of-brick/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Joseph Brodsky > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [For some odd reason, the expression 'death of a poet' always sounds somewhat more concrete than 'life of a poet.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death-of-a-poet-always-sounds/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [A poet is a combination of an instrument and a human being in one person, with the former gradually taking over the latter. 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To a part of speech”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/what-gets-left-of-a-man-amounts-to-a-part-to-his-spoken-part-to-a/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“secrecy is a hotbed of vanity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/secrecy-is-a-hotbed-of-vanity/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“The instinctive preference was to read rather than to act. No wonder our actual lives were more or less a shambles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/the-instinctive-preference-was-to-read-rather-than-to-act-no-wonder/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Americans have been tremendously fortunate in poetry, regarding both the quantity and quality of poetry produced. Unfortunately, it remains in schools and universities; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/americans-have-been-tremendously-fortunate-in-poetry-regarding-both/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/life-the-way-it-really-is-is-a-battle-not-between-good-and-bad-but/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Poems, novels - these things belong to the nation, to the culture, and the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the-nation-to-the-culture-and-the/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“If there is any substitute for love, it is memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/if-there-is-any-substitute-for-love-it-is-memory/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Explore all 264 Joseph Brodsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. 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He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. 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