Quotes by William Safire

Never assume the obvious is true.

Do not put statements in the negative form.And dont start sentences with a conjunction.If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that agreat deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.De-accession euphemisms.If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

Not long ago, I advertised for perverse rules of grammar, along the lines of Remember to never split an infinitive and The passive voice should never be used. The notion of making a mistake while laying down rules (Thimk, We Never Make Misteaks) is highly unoriginal, and it turns out that English teachers have been circulating lists of fumblerules for years. As owner of the worlds largest collection, and with thanks to scores of readers, let me pass along a bunch of these never-say-neverisms:* Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read. * Dont use no double negatives.* Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isnt.* Reserve the apostrophe for its proper use and omit it when its not needed.* Do not put statements in the negative form.* Verbs has to agree with their subjects.* No sentence fragments.* Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.* Avoid commas, that are not necessary.* If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.* A writer must not shift your point of view.* Eschew dialect, irregardless.* And dont start a sentence with a conjunction.* Dont overuse exclamation marks!!!* Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.* Writers should always hyphenate between syllables and avoid un-necessary hyph-ens.* Write all adverbial forms correct.* Dont use contractions in formal writing.* Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.* It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms.* If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.* Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck in the language.* Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors.* Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.* Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.* Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.* If Ive told you once, Ive told you a thousand times, resist hyperbole.* Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.* Dont string too many prepositional phrases together unless you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.* Always pick on the correct idiom.* Avoid overuse of quotation marks.* The adverb always follows the verb.* Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives., November 4, 1979; later also published in book form)

Took me a while to get to the point today, but that is because I did not know what the point was when I started.

In lieu of those checks and balances central to our legal system,non-citizens face an executive that is now investigator, prosecutor,judge, jury and jailer or executioner. In an Orwellian twist, Bushsorder calls this Soviet-style abomination a full and fair trial.

Not long ago, I advertised for perverse rules of grammar, along the lines of Remember to never split an infinitive and The passive voice should never be used. The notion of making a mistake while laying down rules (Thimk, We Never Make Misteaks) is highly unoriginal, and it turns out that English teachers have been circulating lists of fumblerules for years. As owner of the worlds largest collection, and with thanks to scores of readers, let me pass along a bunch of these never-say-neverisms:* Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read. * Dont use no double negatives.* Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isnt.* Reserve the apostrophe for its proper use and omit it when its not needed.* Do not put statements in the negative form.* Verbs has to agree with their subjects.* No sentence fragments.* Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.* Avoid commas, that are not necessary.* If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.* A writer must not shift your point of view.* Eschew dialect, irregardless.* And dont start a sentence with a conjunction.* Dont overuse exclamation marks!!!* Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.* Writers should always hyphenate between syllables and avoid un-necessary hyph-ens.* Write all adverbial forms correct.* Dont use contractions in formal writing.* Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.* It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms.* If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.* Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck in the language.* Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors.* Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.* Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.* Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.* If Ive told you once, Ive told you a thousand times, resist hyperbole.* Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.* Dont string too many prepositional phrases together unless you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.* Always pick on the correct idiom.* Avoid overuse of quotation marks.* The adverb always follows the verb.* Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternat

“Never assume the obvious is true.”