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cover of episode Law Professor Breaks Down History's Greatest Quotes (Ward Farnsworth Interview)

Law Professor Breaks Down History's Greatest Quotes (Ward Farnsworth Interview)

2025/2/12
logo of podcast How I Write

How I Write

AI Chapters Transcript
Chapters
Ward Farnsworth emphasizes the King James Bible's effective use of simple, Saxon words to convey profound messages, creating a sense of strength and power. He contrasts this with the use of Latinate words, often chosen for their perceived sophistication but lacking the same impact.
  • Saxon words are generally shorter, have hard sounds, and are easily understood.
  • Latinate words are often longer, derived from French or Latin, and can be easily transformed into other parts of speech.
  • The King James Bible and Winston Churchill's speeches demonstrate the power of Saxon words in impactful writing.

Shownotes Transcript

Ward Farnsworth is a law professor and former dean at the University of Texas School of Law who has written popular books about clear thinking, language, and philosophy. His books include Classical English Style and works on rhetoric and legal writing. He’s a genius at making complex ideas simple and useful for everyday life. Enjoy!

Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 Intro

00:04:53 Example 1 (King James Bible)

00:07:09 Example 2 (Winston Churchill)

00:11:45 Example 3 (Winston Churchill)

00:15:19 Example 4 (King James Bible)

00:18:18 Example 5 (Abraham Lincoln)

00:22:57 Example 6 (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.)

00:26:40 Classical English Rhetoric

00:27:40 Example 7 (Abraham Lincoln)

00:29:59 Example 8 (Abraham Lincoln)

00:31:48 The only app I use to read articles [Readwise Reader]

00:33:15 Example 9 (Winston Churchill)

00:35:53 Example 10 (Lloyd Bentsen)

00:38:34 Example 11 (JFK)

00:42:00 Example 12 (Abraham Lincoln)

00:43:40 Example 13 (Henry Fielding - Tom Jones)

00:45:32 Example 14 (King James Bible)

00:47:42 The 3 Techniques, explained

00:52:24 Practical advice for everyone

00:56:08 The ideal writing curriculum

WARD FARNSWORTH

http://wardfarnsworth.com/

I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/

Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

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