“Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves (practically) nothing unsaid” is a saying that has been attributed to New York gossip columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972). “Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves nothing unsaid” has been cited in print since at least 1943, when it was unattributed. The first attribution to Walter Winchell is in the book Speaker’s Handbook of Epigrams and Witticisms (1955) by Herbert V. Prochnow.
 
Winchell possibly did say the line about gossip that he’s now known for, but a relevant Winchell column hasn’t been found and the 1940s citations of the saying don’t credit him.
 
 
Wikipedia: Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.
 
4 December 1943, Lock Haven (PA) Express, “Sideswipes” by J. P. W., pg. 3, col. 5:
Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves nothing unsaid.
 
23 September 1944, Bismarck (ND) Tribune, “Trends and Trade Winds,” pg. 5, col. 7:
Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves nothing unsaid.
 
Google News Archive
8 July 1947, Kentucky New-Era (Hopkinsville, KY), “Shorts for Dog-Days,” pg. 4, col. 2:
Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves nothing unsaid.
 
22 March 1948, Canton (OH) Repository, “Once Over” by H. I. Phillips, pg. 6, col. 7:
Spivy says, “Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves nothing unsaid.”
 
Google Books
Speaker’s Handbook of Epigrams and Witticisms
By Herbert V. Prochnow
New York, NY: Harper
1955
Pg. 124:
Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves practically nothing unsaid. Walter Winchell
 
Google Books
The Concise Columbia Dictionary of Quotations
By Robert Andrews
New York, NY: Columbia University Press
1989
Pg. 127:
Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves practically nothing unsaid.
Walter Winchell (1897-1972)
American columnist