William Zinsser Quotes

I'm often dismayed by the sludge I see appearing on my screen if I approach writing as a task--the day's work--and not with some enjoyment.

The writer, his eye on the finish line, never gave enough thought to how to run the race.

Good writing is good writing, whatever form it takes and whatever we call it.

...being "rather unique" is no more possible than being rather pregnant.

Mind in language are inseparable. If we violate our language we violate ourselves.

But on the question of who you're writing for, don't be eager to please.

It wont do to say that the reader is too dumb or too lazy to keep pace with the train of thought. If the reader is lost, it's usually because the writer hasn't be careful enough.

It wont do to say that the reader is too dumb or too lazy to keep pace with the train of thought. If the reader is lost, it's usually because the writer hasn't been careful enough

It's no fun to think about infinity and no cinche to write about it. Again, it helps to look for some human link.

I never think of him as a scholar assaulting me with how much he knows, but as a teacher eager to share a lifelong passion for the subject.

Was the whole matter of aptitudes a myth – a copout used by people like me to avoid subjects that would force us to think inTherefore threatening ways?

The reader is someone with an attention span of about 30 seconds.