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Reminds me of the sound advice I am glad I got early in life (whilst still in college) from a book called "Work Less, Play More" by a petroleum geologist named Steven Catlin[1]. Play the games on your terms if at all possible. And save yo monnay!

1: http://www.swt.org/play.htm (brief and pithy overview there; should be all you need but I recommend reading the whole thing in a weekend)



> brief and pithy overview

I've seen people using "pithy" around here a lot lately.

Is being "pithy" a good thing?

My main previous exposure to the word is in regards to woodworking, where the pith is generally weak wood that you want to avoid when making things.


Usually it’s good. It means short and to the point in most contexts. Maybe things can be too pithy, if they’re so short that they’re incomprehensible. But it’s much better than meandering and off topic.

(This response was not pithy)


I wouldn't say it's necessarily good. If you think of TV when a character says something as they're leaving a room and everyone goes "ooohhhh". That's a pithy comment. Something like:

"Hey baby, you looking for a real man for tonight?"

"Yeah, let me know if you see one!"

Good to be pithy when you're dealing with obnoxious drunks in a bar. Maybe not so much when talking with your boss.


1.(of language or style) concise and forcefully expressive.

It might be slightly pejorative. I usually take it to mean slightly hyperbolic, not necessarily meant to be taken completely literally.


its usually a complement when describing a poet or writer. Meaning precise and meaningful.

such as a pithy Vonnegut quote.


I meant pithy in a positive light - i.e. short and sweet, just the facts please.




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