Thought is action in rehearsal.

Less is more.

Writing is thinking on paper.

Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon.

Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.

Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity.

When you're ready to stop, stop. If you have presented all the facts and made the point you want to make, look for the nearest exit.

I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.

A clear sentence is no accident.

If the nails are weak, your house will collapse. If your verbs are weak and your syntax is rickety, your sentences will fall apart.

One of underestimated tasks in nonfiction writing is to impose narrative shape on an unwieldy mass of material.

Death isn't funny." "Then why are there so many jokes about death? Jill, with us — us humans — death is so sad that we must laugh at it.

In life there is but one career path that will fulfill. The path itself of joy. Make your heart sing. Anything else is a waste of life.

Recognizing poor leadership is a vital skill to help you achieve greatness.

I write every day weekdays for about 5 hours, mostly longhand on legal pads. It has gotten neither harder nor easier, sadly or happily.

You want a bit of life before it's all over. It takes all the guilt away.

Wishes, at least, are the easy pleasures of the poor.

Racism is a worldwide problem.

Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots

It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity.

When I became proficient as a salesman I was invited to teach new hires.