---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are writing about baloney, don't…"
description: "\"If you are writing about baloney, don't try and make it Cornish hen, because that's the worst kind of baloney there is. Just make it darn good baloney...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/leo-burnett-12845_advertising_if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-t_111446.png"
---

#  If you are writing about baloney, don't try and make it…

![“If you are writing about baloney, don't try and make it Cornish hen, because that's the worst kind of baloney there is. Just make it darn good baloney.” quote by Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/leo-burnett-12845_advertising_if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-t_111446.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/leo-burnett-12845_advertising_if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-t_111446.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/leo-burnett-12845_advertising_if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-t_111446.png)

> “If you are writing about baloney, don't try and make it Cornish hen, because that's the worst kind of baloney there is. Just make it darn good baloney.”

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When crafting a message, avoid unnecessary embellishment that distracts from core value; focus on delivering a clear, compelling product.

**In simple terms:** Keep messaging simple and strong.

Key Takeaway

Clarity beats over‑decoration.

Themes

communication branding simplicity authenticity

Mood

pragmatic direct

Type

advice marketing

When to use this quote

- advertising copy
- product naming
- speech writing
- social media posts

Key Concepts

message hygiene audience perception

Practical Applications

- test headline clarity
- strip jargon

Questions to Reflect On

- When does simplicity become blandness?
- How to balance brevity with richness?

A Different Perspective

Sometimes nuanced storytelling is needed to differentiate a product.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Baloney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baloney/) [Baloney Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baloney-just-1322626/) [Cornish Hen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cornish-hen-1322627/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Good Baloney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-baloney-1322625/) [Hens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hens/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Baloney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-baloney-1322624/)

## Related quotes

> [Baloney is just salami with an inferiority complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/baloney-is-just-salami-with-an-inferiority-complex/)

[Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/)

> [... Hey, I didn't know you didn't like baloney." I went cold. "I don't like it. I never liked it." Soda just looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hey-i-didn-t-know-you-didn-t-like-baloney-i-went-cold-i-don-t-like-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You're baloney without the mayo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/you-re-baloney-without-the-mayo/)

[Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/)

> [A photographer's best pictures are from deep inside him, and also some of the worst. Some photographers enjoy distinguished careers without ever taking personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burk-uzzle/a-photographer-s-best-pictures-are-from-deep-inside-him-and-also-some/)

[Burk Uzzle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burk-uzzle/)

> [“baloney is flattery so thick it cannot be true; blarney is flatter so thin we like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monsignor-fulton-j-sheen/baloney-is-flattery-so-thick-it-cannot-be-true-blarney-is-flatter-so/)

[Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monsignor-fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“If I wanted a load of baloney, I would've had a cold cut platter brought it!" -Lulu”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-paige/if-i-wanted-a-load-of-baloney-i-would-ve-had-a-cold-cut-platter/)

[Danielle Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-paige/)

> [My favorite sandwich is peanut butter, baloney, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and mayonnaise on toasted bread with catsup on the side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/my-favorite-sandwich-is-peanut-butter-baloney-cheddar-cheese-lettuce/)

[Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/)

> [Trying to get today's Republicans to accept basic facts is like trying to get your dog to take a pill. You have to feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/trying-to-get-today-s-republicans-to-accept-basic-facts-is-like/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [There's so much myth and baloney. Like a 80-year-old man able to manhandle a 300-pounder with his little finger. Ridiculous. Or this matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/there-s-so-much-myth-and-baloney-like-a-80-year-old-man-able-to/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [“ Holy baloney motherfucking crap. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/holy-baloney-motherfucking-crap/)

[C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/)

> [Hollywood is ten million dollars worth of intricate and high ingenious machinery functioning elaborately to put skin on baloney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/hollywood-is-ten-million-dollars-worth-of-intricate-and-high/)

[George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/)

> [Mostly you don't want to make people feel bad because they carry that with them for the rest of their lives. I've found that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackee-harry/mostly-you-don-t-want-to-make-people-feel-bad-because-they-carry-that/)

[Jackee Harry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackee-harry/)

> [In contrast, markets - oft mythologized as "natural" are the most unnatural things going. Libertarians will tell you "market laws are laws of nature",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/in-contrast-markets-oft-mythologized-as-natural-are-the-most/)

[David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/)

> [In fact a lot of them I think are absolute baloney. Those Charles Olsens and people like that. At first I was interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maccaig/in-fact-a-lot-of-them-i-think-are-absolute-baloney-those-charles/)

[Norman MacCaig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maccaig/)

> [In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story-and then turn the page to national or international affairs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/in-any-case-you-read-with-exasperation-or-amusement-the-multiple/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

## More by Leo Burnett

> [I have learned that trying to guess what the boss or the client wants is the most debilitating of all influences in the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-have-learned-that-trying-to-guess-what-the-boss-or-the-client-wants/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/products-are-made-in-the-factory-but-brands-are-created-in-the-mind/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [If you can't turn yourself into your customer, you probably shouldn't be in the ad writing bsuiness at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/if-you-can-t-turn-yourself-into-your-customer-you-probably-shouldn-t/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [I have learned to respect ideas, wherever they come from. Often they come from clients. Account executives often have big creative ideas, regardless of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-have-learned-to-respect-ideas-wherever-they-come-from-often-they/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [I think a smart woman can sell the average man anything,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-think-a-smart-woman-can-sell-the-average-man-anything/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [Good advertising should give the reader essential facts about the product or company advertised and should do so engagingly without trickery or hogwash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/good-advertising-should-give-the-reader-essential-facts-about-the/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [I have learned that it is far easier to write a speech about good advertising than it is to write a good ad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-have-learned-that-it-is-far-easier-to-write-a-speech-about-good/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [Rarely have I seen any really great advertising created without a certain amount of confusion, throw-aways, bent noses, irritation and downright cursedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/rarely-have-i-seen-any-really-great-advertising-created-without-a/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [Anyone who thinks that people can be fooled or pushed around has an inaccurate and pretty low estimate of people - and he won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/anyone-who-thinks-that-people-can-be-fooled-or-pushed-around-has-an/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [Advertising is the ability to sense, interpret... to put the very heart throbs of a business into type, paper and ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/advertising-is-the-ability-to-sense-interpret-to-put-the-very-heart/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get them, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/when-you-reach-for-the-stars-you-may-not-quite-get-them-but-you-won-t/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [I am often asked how I got into the business. I didn't. The business got into me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-am-often-asked-how-i-got-into-the-business-i-didn-t-the-business/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [A good ad which is not run never produces sales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/a-good-ad-which-is-not-run-never-produces-sales/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [Regardless of the moral issue, dishonesty in advertising has proved very unprofitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/regardless-of-the-moral-issue-dishonesty-in-advertising-has-proved/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

> [A good basic selling idea, involvement and relevancy, of course, are as important as ever, but in the advertising din of today, unless you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/a-good-basic-selling-idea-involvement-and-relevancy-of-course-are-as/)

[Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

[Explore all 53 Leo Burnett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/)

## More Advertising quotes

> [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest-it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gossage/advertising-justifies-its-existence-when-used-in-the-public-interest/)

[Howard Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gossage/)

> [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [We have the capital, the resources, and the technology that we need to build a mobile advertising platform across the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/we-have-the-capital-the-resources-and-the-technology-that-we-need-to/)

[Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/)

> [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/)

[Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/)

> [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/)

[William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/)

> [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/)

[Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/)

> [I happened to be spotted by a modeling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-happened-to-be-spotted-by-a-modeling-agent-who-offered-me-a-part/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [They say that Madison Avenue will only pay high dollars in advertising if they get the 18-35 age range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/they-say-that-madison-avenue-will-only-pay-high-dollars-in/)

[Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/)

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/)

[Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/)

> [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/)

[Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/)

> [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/)

[John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/)

[Browse all 1,942 Advertising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you are writing about baloney, don't try and make it Cornish hen, because that's the worst kind of baloney there is. Just make it darn good baloney.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leo Burnett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-try-and-make-it-cornish-hen/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advertising"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-try-and-make-it-cornish-hen/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/leo-burnett-12845_advertising_if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-t_111446.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/leo-burnett-12845_advertising_if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-t_111446.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/leo-burnett-12845_advertising_if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-t_111446.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you are writing about baloney, don't try and make it Cornish hen, because that's the worst kind of…” — Leo Burnett",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Leo Burnett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you are writing about baloney,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-try-and-make-it-cornish-hen/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/if-you-are-writing-about-baloney-don-t-try-and-make-it-cornish-hen/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
