"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time."
— Mark Twain

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

Sources

Often misattributed to Twain, this is actually by Blaise Pascal, "Lettres provinciales", letter 16, 1657: — Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. — Translation: I have only made this [letter] longer, because I have not had the opportunity to make it shorter.