--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to…" description: "\"Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you have and cut it to ribbons ... Good writing means good revising.\" — William Strunk, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/william-strunk-jr-26440_cutting_rewrite-and-revise-do-not-be-afraid-to-s_2427800.png" --- # Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you… ![“Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you have and cut it to ribbons ... Good writing means good revising.” quote by William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/william-strunk-jr-26440_cutting_rewrite-and-revise-do-not-be-afraid-to-s_2427800.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/william-strunk-jr-26440_cutting_rewrite-and-revise-do-not-be-afraid-to-s_2427800.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/william-strunk-jr-26440_cutting_rewrite-and-revise-do-not-be-afraid-to-s_2427800.png) > “Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you have and cut it to ribbons ... Good writing means good revising.” [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective writing requires bold editing, removing excess to reveal clarity. **In simple terms:** Good writing comes from strong revision. Key Takeaway Edit ruthlessly for clarity. Themes writing editing clarity craft discipline Mood focused determined Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - academic papers - novels - blog posts - marketing copy - screenplays Key Concepts revision conciseness style Questions to Reflect On - What part of your draft feels most essential? - How does trimming improve impact? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can strip voice or nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writing/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If I revise a children's book, if I'm spending three hours on the first draft, I'm probably spending 30 minutes revising it. I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/if-i-revise-a-children-s-book-if-i-m-spending-three-hours-on-the/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [I revise like crazy. I start revising before the pen hits the paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dufresne/i-revise-like-crazy-i-start-revising-before-the-pen-hits-the-paper/) [John Dufresne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dufresne/) > [One great aim of revision is to cut out. 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Writing is a means of communicating, and if enough people say, 'I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-m-not-that-guy-who-thinks-i-have-all-the-answers-writing-is-a-means/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [My pen.’ Funny, I wrote that without noticing. ‘The torch’, ‘the paper’, but ‘my pen’. That shows what writing means to me, I guess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/my-pen-funny-i-wrote-that-without-noticing-the-torch-the-paper-but-my/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) ## More by William Strunk, Jr > [Vigorous writing is concise. 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If your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/consciously-or-unconsciously-the-reader-is-dissatisfied-with-being/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) > [None are so fallible as those who are sure they're right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/none-are-so-fallible-as-those-who-are-sure-they-re-right/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) > [The surest way to arouse and hold the attention of the reader is by being specific, definitive, and concrete. The greatest writers - Homer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/the-surest-way-to-arouse-and-hold-the-attention-of-the-reader-is-by-2/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) > [To air one's views gratuitously, is to imply that the demand for them is brisk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/to-air-one-s-views-gratuitously-is-to-imply-that-the-demand-for-them/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) [Explore all 21 William Strunk, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. 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It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. 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Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) Browse all 6,010 Cutting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you have and cut it to ribbons ... 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