It only serves to show what sort of person a man must be who can't even get testimonials. No, no; if a man brings references, it proves nothing; but if he can't, it proves a great deal.
Joseph PulitzerRead
I would rather have one article a day of this sort; and these ten or twenty lines might readily represent a whole day's hard work in the way of concentrated, intense thinking and revision, polish of style, weighing of words.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Valuable work often comes from focused effort and careful refinement rather than sheer quantity.
In this quote, Joseph Pulitzer emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity in writing. He believes that an article, when crafted with deep thought and meticulous revision, can encapsulate the hard work of a full day and hold significant value. The core message highlights that true excellence in writing arises from concentrated, intense thinking and the careful selection of language, suggesting that thoughtful expression is more impactful than simply producing a large volume of work.
Themes
QualityWritingRevisionThinkingEffort
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I quoted Pulitzer to stress that honing a single piece can be more rewarding than producing multiple drafts.
More from Joseph Pulitzer
All quotes →What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation, and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!
Joseph PulitzerRead
Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.
Joseph PulitzerRead
If you will give the matter a moment's thought, you'll see that memory is the highest faculty of the human mind.
Joseph PulitzerRead
An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery
Joseph PulitzerRead
The American people want something terse, forcible, picturesque, striking - something that will arrest their attention, enlist their sympathy, arouse their indignation, stimulate their imagination, convince their reason, awaken their conscience.
Joseph PulitzerRead
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