Shakespeare (through Polonius in "Hamlet") said, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Since we have been discussing epigrams this week, what would happen if that sentence became the first half of either a) a rhyming couplet or b) an epigram?

What would you say?

Brevity is the soul of wit
___________________.

Hmmm, I wonder if Coleridge stole his epigram from Hamlet --

What is an Epigram? A dwarfish whole;

Its body brevity, and wit its soul.

— Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Hi, MA, Maybe it wasn't meant as theft, but flattery. Or maybe Shakespeare traveled through time and stole it from Coleridge :-). Obviously there's been a little "borrowing" here. I like how Coleridge defined the word epigram with an epigram.

Brevity is the soul of wit?
It's true. In briefs he's funny.

Brevity is the soul of wit;
Substance, though, is the flesh of it.

Truly brevity is the soul of wit

Creativity is the wit of soul

Brevity is the soul of wit;
Impertinence, its spirit;
Culture, its body.

Brevity is the soul of wit.
Verbosity, on the other hand, or so it would appear to me, is a shot in the dark; a blindman's bluff; a pain in the neck; an adherence to the “use it or lose it” principle; forgetting that If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing; confusing the sidelines with the goal lines; missing the point that a man who speaks much is much mistaken; a tree whose branches are many but whose roots are few; not realizing that he who falls in love with himself will have no rivals; biting off more than you can chew; missing the forest for the trees; forgetting that still waters run deep; not knowing that he is a fool who cannot conceal his wisdom, and so forth.

(with thanks to Ben Franklin and others)

Brevity is the soul of wit,

We're saved from Writer's Hell through it.

Really kind of off topic...but I am reminded of Hemingway's shortest short story:

Baby shoes for sale. Never used.

Brevity is the soul of wit

Salaciousness is the soul of headlines <An oldie, but a goodie>

Hey MaryAnne, remember that song “this little light of mine”? I’ve been thinking. Perhaps I should reduce the amount of times my little light shines on this Fray. Perhaps I should concentrate on it shining more brightly when it does appear. (But, I ask for grace on exercises like those of this thread; sometimes they inspire me…and they are truly brief).

Brevity is the soul of wit

Let my little light shine

Hey MaryAnn, remember that song “this little light of mine”? I’ve been thinking. Perhaps I should reduce the amount of times my little light shines on this Fray. Perhaps I should concentrate on it shining more brightly when it does appear.

Hey HAP/Bilamsass,

I think you're spending too much time thinking about the wattage of your light. Instead, just do whatever makes you happy. That's all I do.

MA

It is now Bilamsass. Look to the post above. I did what what made me happy. Now, I choose to do what I think is right.

Brevity is the soul of wit.
A few short words. No joke. I quit.