Annotations (6)
“Fancy writing doesn't just conceal ideas. It can also conceal the lack of them. That's why some people write that way, to conceal the fact that they have nothing to say. Whereas writing simply keeps you honest. If you say nothing simply, it will be obvious to everyone, including you.”— Paul Graham
Leadership & Management · Philosophy & Reasoning
DUR_ENDURING
Simplicity exposes vacuity; complexity hides it
“The less energy they expend on your prose, the more they'll have left for your ideas. And the further they'll read. Most readers' energy tends to flag part way through an article or essay. If the friction of reading is low enough, more keep going till the end.”— Paul Graham
Leadership & Management · Psychology & Behavior
DUR_ENDURING
Friction determines how far reader travels
“There's an Italian dish called saltimbocca, which means 'leap into the mouth.' My goal when writing might be called saltintesta: the ideas leap into your head and you barely notice the words that got them there.”— Paul Graham
Leadership & Management · Creativity & Innovation
DUR_ENDURING
Words should vanish; only ideas remain
“When you write in a fancy way to impress people, you're making them do extra work just so you can seem cool. It's like trailing a long train behind you that readers have to carry.”— Paul Graham
Leadership & Management · Psychology & Behavior · Philosophy & Reasoning
DUR_ENDURING
Complexity as status signal burdens reader
“Simple writing also lasts better. People reading your stuff in the future will be in much the same position as people from other countries reading it today. The culture and the language will have changed. It's not vain to care about that, any more than it's vain for a woodworker to build a chair to last.”— Paul Graham
Leadership & Management · Philosophy & Reasoning
DUR_ENDURING
Simplicity is how ideas survive time
“I write the first draft fast, then spend days editing it, trying to get everything just right. Much of this editing is cutting, and that makes simple writing even simpler.”— Paul Graham
Creativity & Innovation · Operations & Execution
DUR_ENDURING
Fast draft, slow edit; subtract to simplify
Frameworks (1)
Saltintesta: Invisible Medium Framework
Making ideas leap into minds by making words disappear
Graham's framework for clarity in communication: treat prose as medium to be made invisible. Minimize friction between idea and comprehension by using ordinary words, simple sentences, and eliminating unnecessary complexity. The goal is saltintesta (ideas leaping into the head), where readers barely notice the words that got them there. Success means reader energy goes to ideas, not decoding prose.
Components
- Use ordinary words and simple sentences
- Write fast first draft, then edit by subtraction
- Test for honesty: can vacuity hide?
Prerequisites
- Willingness to cut cherished phrases
- Tolerance for appearing less sophisticated
Success Indicators
- Readers finish entire piece
- Readers remember ideas, not prose style
- Non-native speakers understand easily
Failure Modes
- Oversimplification that loses nuance
- Cutting so much that meaning becomes unclear
- Confusing simple with simplistic
Mental Models (3)
Status Signaling Through Complexity
PsychologyThe tendency to use unnecessary complexity to signal intelligence or sophistication.
In Practice: Graham identifies fancy writing as status signaling that burdens readers
Demonstrated by Leg-pg-001
Constraint as Honesty Test
Decision MakingArtificial constraints expose quality of thinking.
In Practice: Graham notes that simplicity makes emptiness obvious
Demonstrated by Leg-pg-001
Durability Through Simplicity
TimeThe Lindy-adjacent principle that simple forms last longer than complex ones bec
In Practice: Graham argues simple writing lasts better because future readers will be like fo
Demonstrated by Leg-pg-001
Connective Tissue (1)
Saltimbocca (Italian dish meaning 'leap into the mouth') as metaphor for effortless consumption
Graham borrows from Italian culinary language to describe the ideal of frictionless communication. Just as saltimbocca describes food so appealing it leaps into the mouth, saltintesta describes writing so clear that ideas leap into the head. The metaphor captures the goal of making the medium transparent: food that requires no effort to eat, prose that requires no effort to absorb. Both are about removing barriers between substance and recipient.
Graham coins saltintesta as parallel to saltimbocca, extending culinary metaphor to communication
Glossary (1)
saltimbocca
FOREIGN_PHRASEItalian dish meaning 'leap into the mouth'; veal with prosciutto and sage
“There's an Italian dish called saltimbocca, which means 'leap into the mouth.'”
Concepts (1)
cognitive friction
CL_PSYCHOLOGYMental effort required to process information; high friction reduces engagement depth and duration
Synthesis
Synthesis
Migrated from Scholia