If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter

Variously attributed to Ben Franklin, Blaise Pascal, Robert Sayre, Mark Twain. Anyone know for sure who first said it

Thanks all

Blaise Pascal said Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue parceque je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte "I haven't made this [letter] longer because I haven't had the time to make it shorter."

I've also seen this attributed to Marcus Tullius Cicero and Mark Twain, but almost every good quote is attributed to Mark Twain by someone or other.

I find all this rather hard to believe. Surely if a quote is wise, pithy and memorable it must have come from an Englishman.



I nominate Churchill - everything else gets attributed to him eventually, why not this.

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Surely if a quote is wise, pithy and memorable it must have come from an Englishman.

Now, Bob, you know who you sound like, don't you?

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but almost every good quote is attributed to Mark Twain by someone or other.

Sheesh, he is rubbing off, isn't he?

Yes, it's from Pascal: Provincial Letters XVI.

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Surely if a quote is wise, pithy and memorable it must have come from an Englishman.

Note that Pascal wrote in French; the original was almost twice as long: I'd like to bet the translator was English.

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I'd like to bet the translator was English.

You'd like to, but you must be afraid to since you'd probably be wrong.

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Originally posted by arnie:
Blaise Pascal said Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue parceque je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte "I haven't made this [letter] longer because I haven't had the time to make it shorter."

I was the translator there, so I'd win my bet.

Kalleh, don't mess with arnie - you're NOT gonna win! Or is that ne pas payer le figure d'arnie?

Oh, yes, Asa. I learned that long ago.

It was Voltaire who stated "I would write a shorter letter if I had more time."

Jim,

Welcome to the board! Blaise Pascal wrote Lettres Provinciales in 1656-57. Voltaire lived from 1694-1778. Voltaire may have used the quote, but he certainly didn't originate it.

See Wikipedia's article.

Jim, Arnie is our in-house brain.

Welcome to Wordcraft, and how great to have another Chicago attorney here. Shu, you've got some competition now.