Quality Cuts Through Noise
We can likely all agree that today’s world has become absolutely saturated with noise. We are inundated with content (PDF downloads, internal updates, blogs, videos, podcasts, LinkedIn updates, Instagram stories, Instagram posts, Instagram polls), yet very little truly resonates. And it’s a reminder that the future doesn’t belong to those who produce the most content, but to those who craft it well.
Some writers don't just create content; they create intellectual and/or emotional experiences. They have this incredibly noticeable clarity of thought that cuts through the static. The medium doesn't matter as much as this ice-clear clarity: whether it’s a physical book, a persuasive email, or a well-placed social post — the ideas land, get passed along, bookmarked, and saved.
Crucially, these writers aren’t chasing trends or tweaking for algorithms. They’re investing in the quality of their thinking, the depth of their insights, and the authenticity of their connection with readers. It's a human skill — one that AI, for all its insane efficiency and breadth of data, still struggles to replicate.
A brilliant example is Morgan Housel, the American financial writer known for making complex ideas disarmingly simple. His style is both illustrative and concise, which I consider to be a true hallmark of elegant writing.
I love this opening from one of his essays:
“Let me tell you the story of two investors, neither of whom knew each other, but whose paths crossed in an interesting way.
Grace Groner was orphaned at age 12. She never married. She never had kids. She never drove a car. She lived most of her life alone in a one-bedroom house and worked her whole career as a secretary. She was, by all accounts, a lovely lady. But she lived a humble and quiet life. That made the $7 million she left to charity after her death in 2010 at age 100 all the more confusing. People who knew her asked: Where did Grace get all that money?”
In a few short lines, Housel hypnotises us with specificity and emotional weight. There are no unnecessarily long or fancy words, no gimmicks, and we’re left hanging on that question.
This is the art of elegant content.
Not writing more for the sake of it, or constantly churning, but thinking deeply about what might form a genuine connection, and taking the time to craft stories that stay with the reader. Great pieces, like great brands, are built to last. That’s what makes them so much harder to create.
