I’ve written
about this before, but I think it is worth repeating.
When I was at
Ogilvy and under the well-feathered wing of Steve Hayden,
Steve got a
promotion from President to Vice Chairman.
“The Wall Street
Journal” wrote about Steve’s ascent and in their article there was a quotation
by Ogilvy CEO Shelley Lazarus. It said, simply, “Steve never writes in jargon.”
I read that
quotation.
And I read it
again.
And I thought
about it. I said to myself, I would like to be the industry’s best writer
someday like Steve is today. I will take “never write in jargon” as my personal
brief.
So often when I’m
speaking with someone or listening to someone read from some over-wrought
powerpoint, I hear a string of words that has no discernible meaning.
They might be
all the “right” words.
The words that
ring the right linguistic bells.
Words that get
the phrasemeisters nodding.
But they are
devoid of sense and meaning.
Or as
Shakespeare put it and Faulkner re-put it:
Tomorrow and tomorrow and
tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
1 comment:
kind of depressing really.
Post a Comment