What does 'brevity is the soul of wit' mean?

Brevity is the Soul of Wit

The proverb 'brevity is the soul of wit' means that articulate and intelligent communication (speech and writing) should use few and wisely chosen words. It is best associated with the play 'Hamlet,' by William Shakespeare.

FOOTNOTE

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the lines are spoken by Polonious, whose sage advice is often also quoted in his parting remarks to his son Laertes elsewhere in Hamlet, which ends with

This above all: To thy own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.

which has been guiding advice for millions of people since.

In Shakespeare's day, 'wit' principally referred to intelligence, and the essence or soul of being intelligent is to convey your thoughts as briefly and efficiently as possible. Here is the context of the line:

LORD POLONIUS

This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.

First answer by Spelvin. Last edit by ID3519260398. Question popularity: 22 [recommend question]