The internet has misattributed to Mark Twain a quote “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” I first heard it as “I’d have written a shorter letter, but I hadn’t the time.” Ironically, none of the sources of this quote managed to say it as parsimoniously. Presumably, they hadn’t the time.

My first book took 16 years to write, and was nine pages long. My forthcoming book on Kabbalah has taken another six, and it will be one page long.

Nobody can accuse me of failing to write a shorter book because I hadn’t the time.