William Shakespeare — Brevity is the soul of wit.
Brevity is the soul of wit.William Shakespeare
Shakespeare, 'Hamlet'
Say it shorter. The joke lands harder, the argument bites deeper, the sentence stays. Shakespeare puts brevity at the centre of intelligence, not at its edge.
For a learner this is liberating. You do not need long, complicated English to sound capable. A short, exact sentence is often the most impressive thing in the room.
Words that widen the world
Concise and exact use of words.
Synonyms: conciseness, shortness, economy
Brevity made the point land.
Quick intelligence, often expressed humorously.
Synonyms: cleverness, humour, sharpness
His wit depended on saying less.
Common questions
It means intelligence and humour are most effective when expressed concisely — saying more with fewer words.
From Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', spoken by Polonius.
Carry it with you
In your own words, what does this thought mean to you? Write three or four sentences in English about a moment when it felt true — saying it yourself is how it stays with you.
Read more from William Shakespeare
A hand-picked book or collection to sit with this idea longer. Affiliate links — replace # with your tagged URL.
Explore the readingLove this one? Order it as a print or poster → (shop coming soon)