brevity is the soul of wit

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Coined by William Shakespeare in 1602 in "Hamlet," act 2, scene 2: : Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, : And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, : I will be brief: your noble son is mad...

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: خَيْرُ الكَلَامِ مَا قَلَّ وَدَلَّ (ḵayru l-kalāmi mā qalla wadalla) — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• Chinese Mandarin: 言以簡為貴 /言以简为贵 (yán yǐ jiǎn wéi guì) — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• Chinese Mandarin: 言貴簡潔 /言贵简洁 (yánguìjiǎnjié) — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• Danish: korthed er videns sjæl — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• Finnish: lyhyestä virsi kaunis — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• French: la brièveté est l’âme de l’esprit — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• German: in der Kürze liegt die Würze — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• Hindi: संक्षिप्तता बुद्धि की आत्मा है (saṅkṣiptatā buddhi kī ātmā hai) — conciseness is essential to witty remarks
• Spanish: la brevidad es el alma del talento — conciseness is essential to witty remarks