--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never use five words if you can get away…" description: "\"Never use five words if you can get away with one, eh? I've known dead men talk more than you do.\" — Neil Gaiman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/neil-gaiman-29_dead-man_never-use-five-words-if-you-can-get-away_1407366.jpg" --- # Never use five words if you can get away with one, eh?… ![“Never use five words if you can get away with one, eh? I've known dead men talk more than you do.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/neil-gaiman-29_dead-man_never-use-five-words-if-you-can-get-away_1407366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/neil-gaiman-29_dead-man_never-use-five-words-if-you-can-get-away_1407366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/neil-gaiman-29_dead-man_never-use-five-words-if-you-can-get-away_1407366.jpg) > “Never use five words if you can get away with one, eh? I've known dead men talk more than you do.” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economy of language is prized; verbosity can mask lack of substance. **In simple terms:** Use fewer words when possible. Key Takeaway Speak concisely. Themes writing communication efficiency Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type literary advice When to use this quote - editing drafts - public speaking - teaching writing - social media posts Key Concepts brevity clarity impact Questions to Reflect On - When is brevity harmful? - How do you balance clarity and depth? A Different Perspective Over-simplification may lose nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dead man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-man/) [Dead Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-men/) [Get away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-away/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-talk/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Use Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-words/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-away-3420581/) ## Related quotes > [Silvio, I gotta go, find out something only dead men know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/silvio-i-gotta-go-find-out-something-only-dead-men-know/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Dead men would start and move toward me to learn of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/dead-men-would-start-and-move-toward-me-to-learn-of-love/) [Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/) > [“Dead men cannot take effective action; their power of influence on others lasts only till the grave. Deeds and actions that energise others belong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-athanasius/dead-men-cannot-take-effective-action-their-power-of-influence-on/) [St. Athanasius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-athanasius/) > [A real woman needs quotes by dead men to get through the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-esparza/a-real-woman-needs-quotes-by-dead-men-to-get-through-the-day/) [Felipe Esparza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-esparza/) > [Dead men always have the last laugh. They win. They're dead. You can't hurt their feelings anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-mccombs/dead-men-always-have-the-last-laugh-they-win-they-re-dead-you-can-t/) [Cass McCombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-mccombs/) > [I think we are in rats’ alley Where the dead men lost their bones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-we-are-in-rats-alley-where-the-dead-men-lost-their-bones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Books are all right, but dead men's brains are no good unless you mix a live one's with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/books-are-all-right-but-dead-men-s-brains-are-no-good-unless-you-mix/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [We forget that we are all dead men conversing with dead men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/we-forget-that-we-are-all-dead-men-conversing-with-dead-men/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Nothing is dead: men feign themselves dead, and endure mock funerals and mournful obituaries, and there they stand looking out ofthe window, sound and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/nothing-is-dead-men-feign-themselves-dead-and-endure-mock-funerals/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [We are all dead men on leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-levine/we-are-all-dead-men-on-leave/) [Eugen Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-levine/) > [Who waite for dead men shall goe long barefoote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heywood/who-waite-for-dead-men-shall-goe-long-barefoote/) [John Heywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heywood/) > [Nothing is worth anything to dead men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arya/nothing-is-worth-anything-to-dead-men/) [Arya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arya/) > [And he that will this health deny, down among the dead men let him lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer/and-he-that-will-this-health-deny-down-among-the-dead-men-let-him-lie/) [John Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer/) > [Dead men tell no tales, Mary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dead-men-tell-no-tales-mary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The busiest of living agents are certain dead men's thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/the-busiest-of-living-agents-are-certain-dead-men-s-thoughts/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Dead man quotes > [Those old hypocrites. They talk about killing witches but the Good Book’s full of magic. Turning the Nile to blood and parting the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/those-old-hypocrites-they-talk-about-killing-witches-but-the-good/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“A thousand times a coward and not once a dead man”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suad-amiry/a-thousand-times-a-coward-and-not-once-a-dead-man/) [Suad Amiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suad-amiry/) > [“I cocked my eyebrow at her. "Are you kidding me, Clare?" I indicated to the dead man on the broken pine table. "There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-morgan/i-cocked-my-eyebrow-at-her-are-you-kidding-me-clare-i-indicated-to/) [Elizabeth Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-morgan/) > [Silvio, I gotta go, find out something only dead men know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/silvio-i-gotta-go-find-out-something-only-dead-men-know/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I think I probably have the philosophy of a poor man. You know, like maybe I'd steal the pennies off a dead man's eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassavetes/i-think-i-probably-have-the-philosophy-of-a-poor-man-you-know-like/) [John Cassavetes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassavetes/) > [“Dead man, listen well. The Great Keep is not like the Otherworld. The Great Keep has many names. To the Norse it is Valhalla,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/dead-man-listen-well-the-great-keep-is-not-like-the-otherworld-the/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [Dead men tell no tales, Mary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dead-men-tell-no-tales-mary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“what i really need is a dead man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-himes/what-i-really-need-is-a-dead-man/) [Chester Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-himes/) > [And he that will this health deny, down among the dead men let him lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer/and-he-that-will-this-health-deny-down-among-the-dead-men-let-him-lie/) [John Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer/) > [“Death Valley is the perfect flesh-grilling device, the Foreman Grill in Mother Nature’s cupboard. It’s a big, shimmering sea of salt ringed by mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/death-valley-is-the-perfect-flesh-grilling-device-the-foreman-grill/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [We're here for such a short period of time. Live like you're already dead, man. Have a good time. Do your best. Let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/we-re-here-for-such-a-short-period-of-time-live-like-you-re-already/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [For my own part, I would rather be in company with a dead man than with an absent one; for if the dead man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-my-own-part-i-would-rather-be-in-company-with-a-dead-man-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Victor ignored him and reached inside the dead man’s jacket, searching unsuccessfully for a wallet. He went to take the man’s radio receiver, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wood/victor-ignored-him-and-reached-inside-the-dead-man-s-jacket-searching/) [Tom Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wood/) > [“People had always amazed him, he began. But they amazed him more since the sickness. For as long as the two of them had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/people-had-always-amazed-him-he-began-but-they-amazed-him-more-since/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [How can so much beauty hide such a bruised and steely heart, and why must I love him, why must I lean in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/how-can-so-much-beauty-hide-such-a-bruised-and-steely-heart-and-why/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 490 Dead man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Never use five words if you can get away with one, eh? 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