Thursday, July 21, 2016

’Nuff said (1)

Joseph Joubert:

Everything that is exact is short.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert: A Selection  , trans. Paul Auster (New York: New York Review Books, 2005).
Also from Joseph Joubert
Another world : Form and content : Irrelevancies and solid objects : Lives and writings : New books, old books : Politeness : Resignation and courage : Ruins v. reconstructions : Self-love and truth : Thinking and writing : Wine

comments: 2

Chris said...

I wonder about that translation. "Exact" in French can mean "true" or "correct."

Michael Leddy said...

I don’t have the French text, but translating and using Google led me to the original: “Tout ce qui est exact est court.” My old Harrap’s also has “strict, rigorous.” This aphorism reminds me of “Omit needless words” — getting things right, with no unnecessary parts.