William Zinsser
William Knowlton Zinsser was an American writer, editor and teacher. He began his career working as a feature writer for the New York Herald Tribune. He then became a free-lance contributor to magazines, and authored numerous books; his best known was On Writing Well, a style guide for non-fiction writers that sold an estimated 1.5 million copies. Over the years he taught writing at several universities including Yale, The New School, and Columbia.
Background
- Born in
- New York City
- Educated at
- Buckley Country Day SchoolDeerfield Academy
Trending & Selected Quotes
Trending topics shown first"Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, …"
"Pure nonsense is a joy forever, as Keats didn't quite say. I love to see a writer flying high, just for the hell of it."
"Writing is thinking on paper, or talking to someone on paper. If you can think clearly, or if you can talk to someone about the things you know and care about, you can write - with confidence and enjo…"
Works & Publications
No works or publications documented yet.
Timeline
1922
Born
Birth2015
Died
Death
Influenced By
Thinkers whose ideas shaped William's philosophy
Influenced
Thinkers whose work was shaped by William's ideas
No influenced thinkers documented yet.
Source Attribution
Information about William Zinsser is sourced from curated knowledge bases and cross-referenced for accuracy. Influence relationships are scored by thematic overlap and historical plausibility.
Related Thinkers
See all →Explore Further
Related Quotes
"There is, indeed, no wild beast more to be dreaded than a communicative man having nothing to communicate."
— Christian Nestell Bovee"As Adam said when his wife fell out of the tree—Eve’s dropping again."
— Theodore Sturgeon"TO ME, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody s…"
— Jack Handey"The History of Freedom and Other Essays downloadable in HTML and PDF formats"
— John Dalberg-Acton"The history of credulity would be the most singular page in the great history of mankind. From those vast b…"
— Letitia Elizabeth Landon"Truth is stranger than fiction — to some people, but I am measurably familiar with it."
— Mark Twain


