13 Clever and Inspiring Quotes About Writing

Writers often pride themselves on their limitless creativity, but even they occasionally need an inspirational push.

Luckily, other writers and creative people can help.

If you need a little inspiration this week, here are 13 witty and insightful quotes about writing.

1. "A sentence should never be cruel and unusual." — William C. Burton, attorney

2. "If you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well enough." — Albert Einstein, physicist

3. "I have made this letter longer that usual because I lack the time to make it shorter." — Blaise Pascal, mathematician

4. "Clarity begins at home." — Edie Schwager, speaker with the American Medical Writers Association

5. "The trouble with so many of us is that we underestimate the power of simplicity." — Robert Stuberg, author and speaker

6. "I never write "metropolis' for seven cents when I can write "city' and get paid the same." — Mark Twain, author

7. "When writing about science, don't simplify the science; simplify the writing." — Julie Ann Miller, former editor of Science News

8. "This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read." — Winston Churchill, former British prime minister

9. "If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." — Stephen King, author

10. "All good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. — Anne Lamott, author

11. "Good writing is clear thinking made visible." — William Wheeler, journalist and author

12. "Easy reading is damn hard writing" — Nathaniel Hawthorne, author

13. " No compulsion in the world is stronger than the urge to edit someone else's document." — H. G. Wells, author