The length of the discourse indicates the distance of thought betwixt the speaker and the hearer. If they were at a perfect understanding in any part, no words would be necessary thereon.
谈话的长短,显示出说者与听者在思想上的距离。倘若他们在某一方面完全相通,那么在那方面便无需言语。
— Ralph Waldo Emerson · Circles · Essays: First Series (1841) —