Stay Simple

Dear Matt,

Stay simple. Use the fewest words possible to convey the clearest meaning U can. Avoid sophisticated language that could confuse your readers. Keep your sentence structures plain and understandable.

Fancy writing too often conceals underlying bullshit. Don't disguise your thinking. Make your thoughts transparent. Stick to E-Prime. Use strong verbs.

So far I've written about the context of writing. This applies to speech too. It also applies to dress and to food. Let the simplest forms of material objects satisfy U. Keep to the functional.

Wear the simplest possible clothing that suits the occasion. A fancy clothing item might get caught on a sharp corner, might restrict your movement, might rip.

Eat the simplest possible food that nourishes your body. Keep your tongue, mouth, and stomach sensitive to the quality of the ingredients rather than the complexity of the garnishes.

By keeping your baseline simple U will experience greater appreciation for the complexity U encounter elsewhere. By speaking simply your words will cut through the noise.