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Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

William Safire

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William Safire
Age: 79 †
Born: 1929
Born: December 17
Died: 2009
Died: September 27
Author
Columnist
Journalist
Writer
New York City
New York
William Lewis Safire
Caused
Empathy
Ignorance
Speech
Care
Sloppiness
Apathy
Cynicism

More quotes by William Safire

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A reader should be able to identify a column without its byline or funny little picture on top purely by look or feel, or its turgidity ratio.
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Writers who used to show off their erudition no longer sing in the bare ruined choir of the media.
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Never put the story in the lead. Let 'em have a hot shot of ambiguity right between the eyes.
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In dealing with Syria's dictator...only force counts. No cease-fire was attainable in Lebanon until the 16-inch guns of the battleship New Jersey started shelling Syria's proxies suddenly, sweet reason prevailed in Damascus.
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Nobody stands taller than those willing to stand corrected.
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A dependent clause is like a dependent child: incapable of standing on its own but able to cause a lot of trouble.
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A reader ought to be able to hold it and become familiar with its organized contents and make it a mind's manageable companion.
William Safire
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Why use a modifier to set straight a not-quite-right noun when the right noun is available?
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The first ladyship is the only federal office in which the holder can neither be fired nor impeached.
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Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
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What a joy it is to see really professional media manipulation.
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Remember to never split an infinitive. The passive voice should never be used. Do not put statements in the negative form. Proofread carefully to see if you words out. And don't start a sentence with a conjugation.
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When I need to know the meaning of a word, I look it up in a dictionary.
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A book should have an intellectual shape and a heft that comes with dealing with a primary subject.
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George Washington had a tough second term.
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Give your main clause a little space. Prose is not like boxing the skilled writer deliberately telegraphs his punch, knowing that the reader wants to take the message directly on the chin.
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One difference between French appeasement and American appeasement is that France pays ransom in cash and gets its hostages back while the United States pays ransom in arms and gets additional hostages taken.
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One challenge to the arts in America is the need to make the arts, especially the classic masterpieces, accessible and relevant to today's audience.
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If America cannot win a war in a week, it begins negotiating with itself.
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As long as one American is hungry... then we have unfinished business in this country.
William Safire