Brevity is the soul of wit

When I write a letter of gratitude, I endeavor to fill the entire page. More than 98% of the time I succeed, and my typed letters are approximately six or seven paragraphs long. However, someone can just as easily convey deep and sincere gratitude in six or seven sentences. For the extremely taciturn among us, you can accomplish much the same thing in six or seven words.

“I couldn’t do it without you.”
“I love you and cherish you.”
“You’re THE cog in the machine!”
“Words fail to express my gratitude.”
“Where would I be without you?”
“My admiration for you is boundless.”

These are just a couple of example of how you can express laser-focused gratitude to someone important to you with an economy of words. Without being so draconian, adding in another phrase, handful of words or additional sentence, and you can truly express yourself effectively.

Writing letters comes very naturally to me for a number of reasons. First, I’m a professional writer, and have been at it for decades.. Secondly, I’m generally effusive. Thirdly,  my mind will wander off on creative tangents. For example, a recent letter I wrote contained references to Barry Manilow, Vito Corleone, and Tony Soprano! Try pulling THAT trick off in six words. (Or even six sentences!)

One other analogy: if I was a fine dining chef, I might be inclined to express my gratitude with a six course meal. However, sometimes something far simpler—a hamburger, a grilled cheese, even a delicious bowl of cereal, is just as satisfying.