Quick answer“Brevity is the soul of wit.” is a famous quote by William Shakespeare. It comes from Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2. It is widely quoted on wisdom. Polonius, the long-winded counsellor in Shakespeare's Hamlet, announces that 'brevity is the soul of wit' — and then talks at length.
Polonius, the long-winded counsellor in Shakespeare's Hamlet, announces that 'brevity is the soul of wit' — and then talks at length. The joke lands in Act 2, Scene 2, as he reports to the King and Queen that Hamlet has gone mad.
Origin: Spoken by Polonius in Act 2, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, written around 1600-1601 and first printed in 1603. The full line runs 'Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief' — and Polonius then talks at length.
Key facts
| Quote | “Brevity is the soul of wit.” |
|---|---|
| Author | William Shakespeare |
| Source | Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2 |
| Theme | wisdom |
| Language | English |
Related quotes
- “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” — William Shakespeare
- “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” — William Shakespeare
- “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” — William Shakespeare
- “An expert is a person who has found out by his own painful experience all the mistakes that one can make in a very narrow field.” — Niels Bohr
- “I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” — Isaac Newton
Quick quiz
Three questions from the facts on this page. No sign-up, no score is saved.
Keep exploring
- All quotes — the full list
- More quotes on wisdom
- William Shakespeare — the author's life and facts
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.