"Good things, when short, are twice as good"
About this Quote
The idea praises concision as a multiplier of delight: when something is already good, trimming it sharpens the edges, intensifies the flavor, and leaves a pleasing afterglow rather than fatigue. Comedy lands harder when the punchline arrives a beat early. A lyric lingers longer when it avoids the extra stanza. Even a perfect meal benefits from leaving you one bite wanting. Brevity preserves surprise and concentrates meaning, letting the audience complete the experience with their own inference. That shared act of finishing the thought produces the feeling of something being twice as good.
The aphorism belongs to a long tradition that celebrates the epigram. It is often traced to the 17th-century Spanish writer Baltasar Gracian, whose worldly wisdom prized tact, restraint, and the power of the unsaid. Tom Stoppard, a playwright famed for verbal brilliance and structural finesse, carries the same sensibility into modern theater. His dialogue crackles because it moves fast, trusts the audience to keep up, and closes a door at the exact moment curiosity spikes. Scenes end mid-flight, jokes ricochet off silences, and arguments find their force not in length but in precision. The line suits his craft: the playwrights most dazzling tricks depend on cutting, not adding.
There is a paradox here. Shortness can be mistaken for thinness, but true brevity is compression. It demands selection, rhythm, and the courage to leave white space. The value does not lie in stinginess of time or words; it lies in respect for attention and in confidence that excellence does not need padding. In an era of endless feeds and bloated runtimes, the wisdom feels newly urgent. To end before overstaying is not only tactful; it dignifies what is good by preventing it from curdling into excess. The echo that follows is part of the gift, and it doubles the pleasure.
The aphorism belongs to a long tradition that celebrates the epigram. It is often traced to the 17th-century Spanish writer Baltasar Gracian, whose worldly wisdom prized tact, restraint, and the power of the unsaid. Tom Stoppard, a playwright famed for verbal brilliance and structural finesse, carries the same sensibility into modern theater. His dialogue crackles because it moves fast, trusts the audience to keep up, and closes a door at the exact moment curiosity spikes. Scenes end mid-flight, jokes ricochet off silences, and arguments find their force not in length but in precision. The line suits his craft: the playwrights most dazzling tricks depend on cutting, not adding.
There is a paradox here. Shortness can be mistaken for thinness, but true brevity is compression. It demands selection, rhythm, and the courage to leave white space. The value does not lie in stinginess of time or words; it lies in respect for attention and in confidence that excellence does not need padding. In an era of endless feeds and bloated runtimes, the wisdom feels newly urgent. To end before overstaying is not only tactful; it dignifies what is good by preventing it from curdling into excess. The echo that follows is part of the gift, and it doubles the pleasure.
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| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
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