Joseph Joubert:
Everything that is exact is short.Also from Joseph Joubert
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert: A Selection , trans. Paul Auster (New York: New York Review Books, 2005).
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
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I wonder about that translation. "Exact" in French can mean "true" or "correct."
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.
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