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”