---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The written word Should be clean as bone…"
description: "\"“The written word Should be clean as bone, Clear as light, Firm as stone. Two words are not As good as one.”\" — Madeleine L'Engle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/madeleine-l-engle-345_language_the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone_1785816.png"
---

#  The written word Should be clean as bone, Clear as light…

![“The written word Should be clean as bone, Clear as light, Firm as stone. Two words are not As good as one.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/madeleine-l-engle-345_language_the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone_1785816.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/madeleine-l-engle-345_language_the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone_1785816.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/madeleine-l-engle-345_language_the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone_1785816.png)

> ““The written word Should be clean as bone, Clear as light, Firm as stone. Two words are not As good as one.””

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing should be pure, bright, and solid; brevity often surpasses verbosity.

**In simple terms:** Words should be clear and strong.

Key Takeaway

Write concisely and with purpose.

Themes

clarity brevity strength

Mood

reflective instructive

Type

literary educational

When to use this quote

- editing
- teaching
- public speaking

Key Concepts

literary style communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you keep writing both clear and heartfelt?
- When is detail more valuable than brevity?

A Different Perspective

Over‑editing may strip emotional depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bone Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bone-clear-1901960/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Stone Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stone-words-1407882/) [Two Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-words/) [Word Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-clean-1340080/) [Words Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-good-279246/) [Written word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-word/)

## Related quotes

> [People took the word "clean" out of context. My mother had an expression: "clean as a whistle, sharp as a tack." I inherited her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/people-took-the-word-clean-out-of-context-my-mother-had-an-expression/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [“My words were Egyptian hieroglyphics before the discovery of the Rosetta stone; my words were wounded soldiers limping home, guns spent, from a lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/my-words-were-egyptian-hieroglyphics-before-the-discovery-of-the/)

[Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/)

> [Dance ... is life, or becomes it, in a way that other arts cannot attain. It is not in stone, or words or tones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baker-brownell/dance-is-life-or-becomes-it-in-a-way-that-other-arts-cannot-attain-it/)

[Baker Brownell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baker-brownell/)

> [A proverb has three characteristics: few words, good sense, and a fine image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-ibn-ezra/a-proverb-has-three-characteristics-few-words-good-sense-and-a-fine/)

[Moses ibn Ezra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-ibn-ezra/)

> [Words are good servants but bad masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/words-are-good-servants-but-bad-masters/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [A picture might be worth a thousand words but a good sentence is worth a thousand windows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mati-klarwein/a-picture-might-be-worth-a-thousand-words-but-a-good-sentence-is/)

[Mati Klarwein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mati-klarwein/)

> [He should first show them in deeds rather than words all that is good and holy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-should-first-show-them-in-deeds-rather-than-words-all-that-is-good/)

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

> [“The words are not good for the secret meaning, everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into words, gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-words-are-not-good-for-the-secret-meaning-everything-always/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“I mean, words can't be good enough for a lot of things. But, you know, I guess we have to try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-dellaira/i-mean-words-can-t-be-good-enough-for-a-lot-of-things-but-you-know-i/)

[Ava Dellaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-dellaira/)

> [It's time that we move from good words to good works, from sound bites to sound solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-time-that-we-move-from-good-words-to-good-works-from-sound-bites/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [A good zoo," Stella said, "is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/a-good-zoo-stella-said-is-a-large-domain-a-wild-cage-a-safe-place-to/)

[Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/)

> [“The words were good words, Ulysses felt, maybe even great words, but the list was very incomplete. He was just getting started. The words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/the-words-were-good-words-ulysses-felt-maybe-even-great-words-but-the/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [“And now tell me, why is it that you use me words "good people" all the time? Do you call everyone that, or what?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/and-now-tell-me-why-is-it-that-you-use-me-words-good-people-all-the/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [Words are good for saying what things are, but sometimes they don't function for what things aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/words-are-good-for-saying-what-things-are-but-sometimes-they-don-t/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [We have rapidly increasing technology, which is making life very good for people who are good at using words, and not so good for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/we-have-rapidly-increasing-technology-which-is-making-life-very-good/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

## More by Madeleine L'Engle

> [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

[Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

## More Language quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

[Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/)

[TimBur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timbur/)

> [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/)

[Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/)

[Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/)

> [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/)

[Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/)

> [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/)

[Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Words can kill you trust towards someone, mind you language people, every reaction had its consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-can-kill-you-trust-towards-someone-mind-you-language-people/)

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

> [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

[Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The written word Should be clean as bone, Clear as light, Firm as stone. Two words are not As good as one.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Madeleine L'Engle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone-clear-as-light-firm-as-stone/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Language"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone-clear-as-light-firm-as-stone/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/madeleine-l-engle-345_language_the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone_1785816.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/madeleine-l-engle-345_language_the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone_1785816.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/madeleine-l-engle-345_language_the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone_1785816.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The written word Should be clean as bone, Clear as light, Firm as stone. Two words are not As good as one.” — Madeleine L'Engle",
                "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": "Madeleine L'Engle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The written word Should be clean...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone-clear-as-light-firm-as-stone/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/the-written-word-should-be-clean-as-bone-clear-as-light-firm-as-stone/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
