lyhyestä virsi kaunis

Finnish

Literally, “out of brevity, [comes] a beautiful song”. The traditional proverb is used in the Kalevala (1835), but its further history is unclear.

brevity is the soul of wit (conciseness of expression is an essential characteristic of astute, perceptive, or witty remarks)
- 1888 [1835], trad., translated by John Martin Crawford, edited by Elias Lönnrot, Kalevala, poem XII:
  Hyvä on laulu loppuvasta, lyhyestä virsi kaunis
  Fine the singing quickly ending, Good the song that quickly ceases