About this quote

Smart language can hide shaky thinking. Ask yourself: what am I actually trying to say? Slow down, name the main point in one plain sentence, and ask someone to repeat it back. You'll waste fewer words and have conversations that actually move ideas forward.

When to use it

• During a client pitch at work when the presenter piles on jargon, you whisper, 'I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.'
• In a study group after a classmate explains a proof with five unfamiliar terms, you grin and say the line to break the tension.
• At a family dinner when Aunt Marge rambles through a complicated story about taxes, you joke, 'I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.'
• After calling an overly complex play in a pickup basketball game and teammates stare blankly, you laugh and repeat the quote.