WIST Quotations

François de Sales -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 06 May 2016 18:57:46 +0000

The more you say, the less people remember.
The fewer the words, the greater the profit.

François de Sales (1567-1622) French bishop, saint, writer [a.k.a. Francis de Sales, b. François de Boisy]
(Attributed)

In S.A. Bent, comp., Familiar Short Sayings of Great Men (1887). Usually attributed, due to structure of that reference, to Francois Fénelon.

Chekhov, Anton -- Letter to Alexander Chekhov (11 Apr 1889)

Dave — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 15:08:39 +0000

Brevity is the sister of talent.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) Russian playwright and writer
Letter to Alexander Chekhov (11 Apr 1889)

Bougeard, Alfred -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 16:01:41 +0000

The more an idea is developed, the more concise becomes its expression; the more a tree is pruned, the better is the fruit.

Alfred Bougeard (1815-1882) French writer
(Attributed)

In J. De Finod (ed., tr.) A Thousand Flashes of French Wit, Wisdom, and Wickedness (1881).

Billings, Josh -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 15:58:52 +0000

There’s a great power in words, if you don’t hitch too many of them together.

Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
(Attributed)

Quoted in Donald Day, Uncle Sam's Uncle Josh (1972 ed., 1st pub. 1953).