Re-posted today in honor of the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address.

How many words does it take to say what really needs to be said? (14)

I am preparing for a number of talks and I find myself swimming in slides, quotes, stories, anecdotes and nuggets of information just so good that I can’t possibly exclude them from my talk. Or can I? I am struck by how challenging it is to get really clear and to present that clarity with an exactitude that is refreshing and compelling in a world of too many words and too little meaning. I want to say exactly what I want to say with an economy of words and supporting evidence that is both significant, inspiring and powerful while it is also simple, elegant and concise. (120)

In the Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln accomplished what so few before or since…