Sometimes one must consider if brevity really is the soul of wit.
If I thought I had a soul, I may consider this to be an important question. Albeit, I am not quite pretentious enough to claim to take this quote at face value. The important point here is this; does brevity denote intelligence, or a dim wit?
I contend that being overly verbose is a cardinal sin in prose and in conversation, however much a sinner I am as such. However, speaking as if you were addressing toddlers will allow you only so broad an audience. No self respecting human being prefers to read the newspapers fifth grade drivel over the works of the great writers.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, but the needs of the few most certainly outwit the needs of the many.
It is simply a matter of sense. It becomes quite impossible to describe Plato's view on justice without having the capacity to read the Republic. It is quite heinous to expect a student of 12 to wrap their mind around Voltaire, but expecting that the masses will, for the most part, never surpass these elementary students is nothing less than an insult to polite society.
I'm afraid that soon enough brevity will become not simply the soul of wit, but the soul of society. I am only too glad that I have no need for such a soul.
