William Zinsser

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

“Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose.”

“Be true to yourself and to the culture you were born into. Tell your story as only you can.”

“Today the outlandish becomes routine overnight. The humorist is trying to say that it's still outlandish.”

“Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person.”

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

“The constant desire to win is a very American kind of trouble. Less glamorous gains made along the way--learning, wisdom, growth, and confidence, dealing with failure--aren't given the same respect because they can't be given a grade.”

“But what if we fail' they ask, whispering the dreaded word across the Generation Gap to their parents. 'Don't' they whisper back. What they should say is 'Don't be afraid to fail. Failure isn't fatal”

“Write about small, self-contained incidents that are still vivid in your memory. If you remember them, it's because they contain a larger truth that your readers will recognize in their own lives. Think small and you'll wind up finding the big themes in your family saga. ”

“Writing is thinking on paper”

“Less is more.”

“Writing is an act of ego, and you might as well admit it.”