Quote by Terry Pratchett

The point is that descriptive writing is very rarely entirely accurate and during the reign of Olaf Quimby II as Patrician of Ankh-Morpork some legislation was passed in a determined attempt to put a stop to this sort of thing and introduce some honesty to reporting.Thus, if a legend told of a notable hero that all men spoke of his prowess any bard who valued his life would hastily add except for a couple of people in his home village who thought he was a loony, and quite a lot of other people who had never really heard of him. Poetic simile was strictly limited to statements like: His mighty steed was fast as the wind, on a fairly calm day, say about Force Three, any loose talk about a beloved having a face that could launch a thousand ships would have to be backed by evidence that the object of desire did indeed own a very large seaport. Patrician Olaf II was eventually killed during an experiment conducted in the palace grounds to prove the disputed accuracy of the proverb The Pen is mightier than the Sword.In his memory it was decided that the proverb would from now on include the phrase: only if the Sword is very small and the Pen very sharp.


The point is that descriptive writing is very rarely entirel

Summary

This quote is a humorous explanation of how descriptive writing often embellishes or distorts the truth. During the reign of Patrician Olaf Quimby II, legislation was passed to bring honesty to reporting. Descriptive writing was required to be more accurate, and exaggerations had to be established with evidence. The quote also mentions an experiment conducted in the palace grounds to prove whether the pen is mightier than the sword, resulting in the modification of the proverb to include the condition that the sword must be small and the pen sharp. Overall, the quote highlights the importance of honesty and accuracy in communication.

Topics

Legends
By Terry Pratchett
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