Leading article: Brevity as the soul of wit – and the shorter, the better
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.If not now, when? Those four words were the entire speech by Charles Walker (Conservative, Broxbourne) in the Europe debate. It took him just three seconds. That was considerably more terse, taut, curt, clipped and pithy than the speech Salvador Dali claimed as the world's shortest. "I will be so brief I have already finished," he said and sat down.
"If not now, when?"was originally coined by the Babylonian rabbi, Hillel the Elder. He meant something more profound than a call to European rebellion. That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow, he also said, that being the whole of the Law and the rest just explanation. But brevity can belie. The shortest words – Yes and No – are the words which require most thought, said Pythagoras. Though this be madness, yet there is method in't. Or as Woody Allen put it in a nutshell: 80 per cent of success is showing up.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments