Writing to Inspire (Lesson #2)

Don't believe anything. Don't think anything. Simply, make a statement and let the chips do what they love to do—fall.

When you seek to inspire your readers, you must understand the slight, but critical importance of removing qualifications. If you are speaking, we know it is your opinion, you don't have to say, "in my opinion." If you are writing, we know not everyone on earth believes as you do. Never say, "others may disagree."

Qualifiers gut your statements, leaving them on the side of the road like an engineless car.

What if Kennedy said, "In my opinion, you should ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country?" Doesn't pop the same, does it? But isn't it interesting how we still know it was his opinion, his belief? Don't qualify.

Mastery is a function of subtraction. The elimination of every unnecessary expression of language. I teach two concepts, "quote speaking" and "quote writing." When you study historical quotes from Eric Hoffer to MLK, from Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Jesus, you'll find something interesting. We only quote statements made without equivocation. We quote declarative language.

"Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some." - Eric Hoffer

“We must learn to regard people less in light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Martin Luther King

You may feel more inclusive of other ideas when you acknowledge how many other positions exist outside of your own, but in reality, readers want to know what you think. Your opinion is not the only one in the world. However, write like it is.