Words matter. These are the best William Safire Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
When I need to know the meaning of a word, I look it up in a dictionary.
If you re-read your work, you can find on re-reading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by re-reading and editing.
I’m a right-wing pundit and have been for many years.
To be accused of ‘channeling’ is to be dismissed as a ventriloquist’s live dummy, derogated at not having a mind of one’s own.
When articulation is impossible, gesticulation comes to the rescue.
Previously known for its six syllables of sweetness and light, reconciliation has become the political fighting word of the year.
I’m willing to zap conservatives when they do things that are not libertarian.
Writers who used to show off their erudition no longer sing in the bare ruined choir of the media.
The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia to the political world by Henry Kissinger and now bandied in the boardroom is colleague. It has a nice upper-egalitarian feel, related to the good fellowship of collegial.
Do not be taken in by ‘insiderisms.’ Fledgling columnists, eager to impress readers with their grasp of journalistic jargon, are drawn to such arcane spellings as ‘lede.’ Where they lede, do not follow.
Never assume the obvious is true.
Never look for the story in the ‘lede.’ Reporters are required to put what’s happened up top, but the practiced pundit places a nugget of news, even a startling insight, halfway down the column, directed at the politiscenti. When pressed for time, the savvy reader starts there.
A reader ought to be able to hold it and become familiar with its organized contents and make it a mind’s manageable companion.
Have a definite opinion.
I welcome new words, or old words used in new ways, provided the result is more precision, added color or greater expressiveness.
Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight.
I think we all have a need to know what we do not need to know.
Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don’t know and I don’t care.
