---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's better to say nothing than spend…"
description: "\"It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point.\" — Richard Branson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/richard-branson-256_communication_it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1_1900362.jpg"
---

#  It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an…

![“It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/richard-branson-256_communication_it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1_1900362.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/richard-branson-256_communication_it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1_1900362.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/richard-branson-256_communication_it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1_1900362.jpg)

> “It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point.”

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

## About This Quote

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

Advocates brevity, suggesting it's better to stay silent than to speak at length without substance.

**In simple terms:** Speak concisely or stay silent.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize concise communication.

Themes

communication efficiency clarity

Mood

practical concise

Type

business advice

When to use this quote

- meeting
- presentation
- email drafting

Key Concepts

brevity impact listening

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you ensure brevity still conveys meaning?
- When should you choose silence?

A Different Perspective

Silence may be misinterpreted as disengagement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[000 Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/000-words/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Hour Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hour-speech-1349937/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Saying nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-nothing/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Speech Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-saying-2799635/) [Words Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-hour-1337308/)

## Related quotes

> [“I don’t even know how to say it.” “You just say it. That’s how you say something that’s hard. You put one foot in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-blakely/i-don-t-even-know-how-to-say-it-you-just-say-it-that-s-how-you-say/)

[Lauren Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-blakely/)

> [I understand what's going on, and when I see the fervor, when I see 25,000 people that have seats and not one person during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-understand-what-s-going-on-and-when-i-see-the-fervor-when-i-see-25/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [He puts his right hand lightly on the cup, I put my left, leaving the right free to transcribe, and away we go. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merrill/he-puts-his-right-hand-lightly-on-the-cup-i-put-my-left-leaving-the/)

[James Merrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrill/)

> [I do not write by any set time schedule. I realize there are many writers who follow a daily regime where they arise at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-do-not-write-by-any-set-time-schedule-i-realize-there-are-many/)

[Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/)

> [Guard your roving thoughts with a jealous care, for speech is but the dialer of thoughts, and every fool can plainly read in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/guard-your-roving-thoughts-with-a-jealous-care-for-speech-is-but-the/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [“In a study in 1995, Betty Hart and Todd Risley of the University of Kansas found that children in professional families heard on average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-study-in-1995-betty-hart-and-todd-risley-of-the-university-of-2/)

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

> [There is nothing worse than doing nothing and saying nothing when your voice is needed,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/there-is-nothing-worse-than-doing-nothing-and-saying-nothing-when/)

[Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/)

> [The best things said come last. People will talk for hours saying nothing much and then linger at the door with words that come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/the-best-things-said-come-last-people-will-talk-for-hours-saying/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [It was his subconscious which told him this---that infuriating part of a person's brain which never responds to interrogation, merely gives little meaningful nudges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/it-was-his-subconscious-which-told-him-this-that-infuriating-part-of/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [Those, who are strongly wedded to what I shall call 'the classical theory', will fluctuate, I expect, between a belief that I am quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/those-who-are-strongly-wedded-to-what-i-shall-call-the-classical/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [“He sometimes halted without saying anything. Either he had finally nothing to say or while having something to say he finally decided not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/he-sometimes-halted-without-saying-anything-either-he-had-finally/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [The poet wants to ‘say’ something. Why, then, doesn’t he say it directly and fortrightly? Why is he willing to say it only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleanth-brooks/the-poet-wants-to-say-something-why-then-doesn-t-he-say-it-directly/)

[Cleanth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleanth-brooks/)

> [Even with the recent story about the nurse killing herself in King Edward Hospital, there's no blame placed on Kate Middleton, who was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/even-with-the-recent-story-about-the-nurse-killing-herself-in-king/)

[Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/)

> [Yet we must say something when those who say the most are saying nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-we-must-say-something-when-those-who-say-the-most-are-saying/)

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

> [ We went to America a few times and \[Brian\] Epstein always tried to waffle on at us about saying nothing about Vietnam. So there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/we-went-to-america-a-few-times-and-brian-epstein-always-tried-to/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

## More by Richard Branson

> [Lavish praise on people and people will flourish; criticize people and they'll shrivel up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/lavish-praise-on-people-and-people-will-flourish-criticize-people-and/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Fantasizing about the future is one of my favorite pastimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/fantasizing-about-the-future-is-one-of-my-favorite-pastimes/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I will work day and night to avoid failure, but if I can't, I'll pick myself up the next day. The most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-will-work-day-and-night-to-avoid-failure-but-if-i-can-t-i-ll-pick/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Tough times are inevitable in life and in business. But how you compose yourself during those times defines your spirit and will define your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/tough-times-are-inevitable-in-life-and-in-business-but-how-you/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [All successful people - not just entrepreneurs - have got things wrong over and over again before finding the right solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/all-successful-people-not-just-entrepreneurs-have-got-things-wrong/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [We have the enormous opportunity in our hands to make a positive difference for business, people, and the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/we-have-the-enormous-opportunity-in-our-hands-to-make-a-positive/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I'm a great believer in life to saying yes and not saying no, and hopefully making people smile and just having fun in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-m-a-great-believer-in-life-to-saying-yes-and-not-saying-no-and/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Money is a poor indicator of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/money-is-a-poor-indicator-of-success/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Business leaders take things far too seriously, and forget that most of the time people spend in their lives is at work, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/business-leaders-take-things-far-too-seriously-and-forget-that-most/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I love the freedom of movement that my phone gives me. That has definitely transformed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-love-the-freedom-of-movement-that-my-phone-gives-me-that-has/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Everything in your business can be outsourced... if you're not emotionally attached to doing it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/everything-in-your-business-can-be-outsourced-if-you-re-not/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [People have to decide on priorities if they want to get anywhere. The best lessons I learned was to just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/people-have-to-decide-on-priorities-if-they-want-to-get-anywhere-the/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [There isn't a flight goes by when I don't stare out of the window and thank my stars for what I'm seeing and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/there-isn-t-a-flight-goes-by-when-i-don-t-stare-out-of-the-window-and/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

[Explore all 805 Richard Branson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [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/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

[Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Branson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1-000-words-or-an-hour-speech/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1-000-words-or-an-hour-speech/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/richard-branson-256_communication_it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1_1900362.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/richard-branson-256_communication_it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1_1900362.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/richard-branson-256_communication_it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1_1900362.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point.” — Richard Branson",
                "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": "Richard Branson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's better to say nothing than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1-000-words-or-an-hour-speech/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1-000-words-or-an-hour-speech/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
