--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This paper, by its very length, defends…" description: "\"“This paper, by its very length, defends itself from ever being read.”\" — Winston S. Churchill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/winston-s-churchill-9737_books_this-paper-by-its-very-length-defends-it_1968961.jpg" --- # This paper, by its very length, defends itself from ever… ![“This paper, by its very length, defends itself from ever being read.” quote by Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/winston-s-churchill-9737_books_this-paper-by-its-very-length-defends-it_1968961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/winston-s-churchill-9737_books_this-paper-by-its-very-length-defends-it_1968961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/winston-s-churchill-9737_books_this-paper-by-its-very-length-defends-it_1968961.jpg) > ““This paper, by its very length, defends itself from ever being read.”” [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously suggests that a work's length protects it from scrutiny because readers avoid lengthy texts. **In simple terms:** Long works hide from readers. Key Takeaway Be concise to ensure readership. Themes communication humor literature Mood wry reflective Type satirical observational When to use this quote - academic writing - political speeches - publishing - reading habits Key Concepts self‑reference defensive rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - Do you avoid long texts? - Can brevity improve impact? A Different Perspective Length alone does not guarantee quality or engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Defends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defends/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) ## Related quotes > [This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-report-by-its-very-length-defends-itself-against-the-risk-of/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [In the surface of the paper there is only length and width-there is no such thing as thickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clayton/in-the-surface-of-the-paper-there-is-only-length-and-width-there-is/) [John Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clayton/) > [Man only honors what he conquers or defends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/man-only-honors-what-he-conquers-or-defends/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [For me, what makes Liverpool special is that they are a team that works very well on the lines, very compact, in which everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bojan-krkic/for-me-what-makes-liverpool-special-is-that-they-are-a-team-that/) [Bojan Krkic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bojan-krkic/) > [No science ever defends its first principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/no-science-ever-defends-its-first-principles/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I'm not a person who defends myself very often. I kind of let my actions speak for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brady/i-m-not-a-person-who-defends-myself-very-often-i-kind-of-let-my/) [Tom Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brady/) > [I never seem to be able to sell my films correctly in the U.S. The U.S. defends itself on its own turf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-ocelot/i-never-seem-to-be-able-to-sell-my-films-correctly-in-the-u-s-the-u-s/) [Michel Ocelot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-ocelot/) > [A true friend is one who upon seeing a fault gives you advice and defends you in your absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narenkumar/a-true-friend-is-one-who-upon-seeing-a-fault-gives-you-advice-and/) [Narenkumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narenkumar/) > [Exercise thy lasting youth defends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gay/exercise-thy-lasting-youth-defends/) [John Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gay/) > [Ecuador is a country which defends the right to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-correa/ecuador-is-a-country-which-defends-the-right-to-life/) [Rafael Correa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-correa/) > [God loves and defends those with the least economic and social power, and so should we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-loves-and-defends-those-with-the-least-economic-and-social-power/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Republicans constantly claim to be the party that defends the Constitution. 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Churchill > [“Still, it is the primary right of men to die and kill for the land they live in, and to punish with exceptional severity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/still-it-is-the-primary-right-of-men-to-die-and-kill-for-the-land/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“Time after time, history ran over the luddites and romanticists, those who sought to restore the old and delay the new. And every time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/time-after-time-history-ran-over-the-luddites-and-romanticists-those/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/the-farther-backward-you-can-look-the-farther-forward-you-are-likely/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“Delight in smooth-sounding platitudes, refusal to face unpleasant facts, desire for popularity and electoral success irrespective of the vital interests of the State, genuine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/delight-in-smooth-sounding-platitudes-refusal-to-face-unpleasant/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true and also fierce you cannot hurt the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/you-will-make-all-kinds-of-mistakes-but-as-long-as-you-are-generous/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“In the middle of April the Germans took a sombre decision. Ludendorff refers to it with bated breath. ... They transported Lenin in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/in-the-middle-of-april-the-germans-took-a-sombre-decision-ludendorff/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“St Patrick was a Roman Briton of good family dwelling probably in the Severn valley.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/st-patrick-was-a-roman-briton-of-good-family-dwelling-probably-in-the/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/the-optimist-sees-opportunity-in-every-danger-the-pessimist-sees/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“Resposibility is the price of greatness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/resposibility-is-the-price-of-greatness/) [Winston S. 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Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“Occasionally a man stumbles over the truth. Most dust themselves off and continue walking as though nothing had happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/occasionally-a-man-stumbles-over-the-truth-most-dust-themselves-off/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/it-is-a-mistake-to-try-to-look-too-far-ahead-the-chain-of-destiny-can/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/we-sleep-safely-at-night-because-rough-men-stand-ready-to-visit/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) [Explore all 70 Winston S. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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