Economy of force

Do you need to make a grand statement to get your point across? Do you need a lot of finery to make people notice you? Do you need to jump up and down and yell and scream to stand the test of time?

Abraham Lincoln didn't. I was watching the Civil War last night, and toward the end, they had someone read his Gettysburg Address. I got goose bumps listening to it. Two hundred sixty nine words. Two minutes. Economical, elegant, forthright. He said what he meant, clearly, vividly, movingly. He reminded people of what the battle was about, and the supreme sacrifice untold numbers made. And despite the carnage at a dark hour in the nation's history, he sounded an ultimately hopeful note on the future of the country.

He said much, without saying a lot.