There's a curious thing you notice as you get better at your craft: great work always feels right. Add more to it and it feels decorated, remove even a little and it feels barren.
Like a piano riff with just the right notes.
Or a paragraph with just the right words.
And that's when you realize the underlying quality behind all great work: it's less about what you add, and more about what you intentionally leave out.
Truths are often rediscovered many times, and unsurprisingly, folks across fields have arrived at the same truth:
It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play – Miles Davis
I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time – Mark Twain
Less is better – Dieter Rams
Make all visual distinctions as subtle as possible while still effective – Edward Tufte
A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself – David Ogilvy
The best code is no code at all – Jeff Atwood