I gave a talk at M&C Saatchi in London this week. There I had the fortune of meeting the advertising legend Maurice Saatchi for a brief moment. In my introduction to the audience of marketers and local creatives, Saatchi related the story of Christopher Columbus and his quest for the Western Hemisphere. In Columbus’ diary there was the consistent entry to the effect, “No land. Move on. Move on.” Saatchi’s point was that to explore new territories of lands, life, or thought, that the mantra is always reduced to simplicity itself.

At the very end of the talk, I fielded some questions and there was a gentleman that brought up how The Economist educates its writers. Simplify. Then exaggerate. I found this to be an enjoyably simple thought from one of my favorite papers.