Welcome to PlainSpeech

I hadn’t been a Quaker very long before hearing the phrase “plain speech.” Confused about its meaning, I asked a more seasoned Friend what it meant.

She said, “It means saying what you mean, and meaning what you say,”

That seemed consistent with the little I knew about Quakers, that they valued integrity, and spoke simply and directly. But later I would learn that plain speech meant more than integrity and brevity, it also meant avoiding language that elevated some and brought down others. Our language reflected the worth and value of all people, not just the high and mighty, so Quakers avoided titles of honor or deference, for ourselves and others. That too, was plain speech.

This custom of plain speech has become increasingly important to me, especially in our culture of income disparity, privilege, and the exaltation of the rich and powerful. You’ll find in these messages a high regard for the common folk, a contempt for hubris, and a passion for truth and reason, clearly spoken. I am becoming, as I age, less enamored with dogma and doctrine, more devoted to the observably true, and not at all inclined to believe something because I am told I must.

I hope these messages give you an appreciation for plain speech, for words and ideas clearly spoken, whose authority is rooted not in some ancient tradition or institution, but in truth, fact, and reason.

This website is free-of-charge, in accordance with my conviction that one’s wealth, or lack of it, should not affect their access to our cultural conversation. Sign-up to receive our weekly messages, and share them with your friends. If you wish to reproduce them for a newsletter, a discussion group, or a Facebook page, feel free to do so. I am enriched when you are.