Five Great Quotations about Editing

“Prune what is turgid, elevate what is commonplace, arrange what is disorderly, introduce rhythm where the language is harsh, modify where it is too absolute.” – Marcus Fabius Quintilianus

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Write drunk; edit sober.” – Peter De Vries (often misattributed to Ernest Hemingway)

“Inside every fat book is a thin book trying to get out.” – Unknown

“There are two typos of people in this world: those who can edit and those who can’t.” – Jarod Kintz