Brevity is the soul of wit

Cultural  

1. Intelligent speech and writing should aim at using few words. This proverb comes from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare.

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Example Sentences

Brevity is the soul of wit, as Shakespeare told us.

From The Guardian • Sep. 27, 2017

"Brevity is the soul of wit," he says.

From The Guardian • Apr. 2, 2011

Brevity is the soul of wit, and of many other virtues in writing.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Brevity is the soul of wit, and a part of Lincoln's reputation for wit lies in his ability to condense a great deal into a few words.

From The Every-day Life of Abraham Lincoln A Narrative And Descriptive Biography With Pen-Pictures And Personal Recollections By Those Who Knew Him by Browne, Francis F. (Francis Fisher)

We may instance such expressions as these: "Brevity is the soul of wit."

From Halleck's New English Literature by Halleck, Reuben Post