The first goal of writing is to have one's words read successfully.

Brault’s point is that writing begins with readability: clarity, coherence, and a reader’s willingness to continue are the baseline conditions for everything else. “Read successfully” implies more than being glanced at; it suggests being taken in as intended—comprehended, followed, and emotionally or intellectually engaged. The aphorism gently demotes prestige goals (literary greatness, stylistic virtuosity, self-expression) to secondary status until the primary communicative task is met. It also hints at an ethical dimension: writers owe readers intelligibility and consideration. In practice, the quote advocates revision, structure, and attention to audience as the foundation of effective writing.