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"Brevity Is The Soul Of Wit" - William Shakespeare
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William "I invented English" Shakespeare was in some ways the Donald Trump of the 16th Century, what with him having the best words. Many of those words can be found in such classics like Hamlet, including this nugget of wisdom: "Brevity is the soul of wit." It's not only a brilliant line from a brilliant play; it's also fantastic life advice that is relevant even today. Keep your jokes short and sweet, people!
Why People Need To Stop Using It:
Attributing this to Shakespeare as if it's life advice is like, well, doing this:
"Release your anger! Only your hatred can destroy me!" -- George Lucas
It's true that Lucas wrote those words, but they were written in a work of fiction to be spoken by a bad guy. They don't represent Lucas' position (as far as we know).
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"Actually, you just need four billion dollars to stop me."
Well, anybody who's read Hamlet could tell you that the character who says "Brevity is the soul of wit" is bar-none one of the dumbest characters in Shakespeare's canon. The line is spoken by Polonius, an adviser to the murderous King Claudius, who spends most of the play spitting out aphorisms that are either off by a word or so cartoonishly misguided that you have to wonder if he wasn't meant as the first "Dumb Polack" joke in recorded history.
Coke Smyth
Seriously, look at this dipshit getting stabbed behind a curtain.
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