Talk is cheap

And words are wasteful.

But they can be rewarding; In the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway bet ten dollars that he could write a complete story in just six words. He wrote: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." He won the bet.

Now Smith magazine is asking its readers to sum up their own lives in just six words. Great stuff. As a man of few words, one who prefers silence to vulgar, casual banter* this concept makes perfect sense.

Thanks to my Mother and the Today programme for bringing this to my attention.

*ie small talk. Deep and meaningfuls can be short and sweet or long and lasting – quality will always slay quantity.