Skip to content

Book Quote by Max Lucado

“I believe in brevity. I believe that you, the reader, entrust me, the writer, with your most valued commodity—your time. I shouldn’t take more than my share. For that reason, I love the short sentence. Big-time game it is. Hiding in the jungle of circular construction and six-syllable canyons. As…” quote by Max Lucado
Download Open image
““I believe in brevity. I believe that you, the reader, entrust me, the writer, with your most valued commodity—your time. I shouldn’t take more than my share. For that reason, I love the short sentence. Big-time game it is. Hiding in the jungle of circular construction and six-syllable canyons. As I write, I hunt. And when I find, I shoot. Then I drag the treasure out of the trees and marvel. Not all of my prey make their way into chapters. So what becomes of them? I save them. But I can’t keep them to myself. So, may I invite you to see my trophy case? What follows are cuts from this book and a couple of others. Keep the ones you like. Forgive the ones you don’t. Share them when you can. But if you do, keep it brief. Pray all the time. If necessary, use words. Sacrilege is to feel guilt for sins forgiven. God forgets the past. Imitate him. Greed I’ve often regretted. Generosity—never. Never miss a chance to read a child a story. Pursue forgiveness, not innocence. Be doubly kind to the people who bring your food or park your car. In buying a gift for your wife, practicality can be more expensive than extravagance. Don’t ask God to do what you want. Ask God to do what is right. Nails didn’t hold God to a cross. Love did.””

Max Lucado

About This Quote

Source Essay: Personal Reflections on Writing, 2023

Brevity respects the reader’s time, making communication clear and impactful.

In simple terms: Short writing respects time.

Key Takeaway

Write concisely, value readers.

Themes

brevity respect communication clarity generosity

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

literary motivational

When to use this quote

  • Emails
  • social media posts
  • teaching
  • public speaking

Key Concepts

Writing craft ethical storytelling time management

Questions to Reflect On

  • When is detail more important than brevity?
  • How can you balance depth and conciseness?
A Different Perspective

Too much brevity may oversimplify complex ideas.

2.8 out of 5 (3 ratings)

More by Max Lucado

Explore all 968 Max Lucado quotes

More Book quotes

Browse all 29,378 Book quotes