Mark Twain on Editing
I apologize for such a long letter - I didn't have time to write a short one
It seems that the exact quote "I'm sorry I ran out of time to edit this" is not found in the search results. However, a similar quote attributed to Mark Twain is, "I apologize for such a long letter - I didn't have time to write a short one."
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Funny-Writing Tip #4: Make It Short Anything worth saying is worth saying briefly. It may take more time (Mark Twain famously apologized for a letter’s lengthiness by explaining that he didn’t have time to make it short), but this is time well spent. Sometimes cutting a word or two can make a line twice as funny, or turn an unfunny line into a funny one. Experiment with your work by cutting words. See if anything’s lost. And use simpler, shorter words when possible. (Location 417)