Tip: Use the Largest Brush Possible

I am still reading Harold Speed's book entitled "Oil Painting Techniques and Materials". He makes the following statement without much explanation:

"Always use the largest brush that will do what you want."

I have heard this idea expressed by other artists as well, so I decided to see if I could justify why this is a good suggestion. Here is what I found:

1. You can create a wider variety of stokes with a large brush than you can with a small brush. A painting constructed with a single repetitive brushstroke can be dull and unexciting. It is better to vary the marks as much as possible, and this is easier to do this with a large brush. For instance, you can use the flat tip of a large brush to pull the paint, you can use the side of the same brush for a thinner line, or you can use only the corner of the tip by holding the brush at an angle.
2. A large brush encourages you to consider the large forms first. With a large brush in hand, you have less tendency to rush to "the details" before the foundation of the composition is in place. In fact, it reduces the overall temptation to paint unnecessary details, which can detract from the interest and allure of a painting.
3. Working with a large brush produces more painter effects. You will introduce accidental beauty with a twist or twirl of a large brush. This is not the case with a small brush. These unintended marks can give the painting the feeling of detail where in reality that detail is only suggested.
4. For those of us that paint painfully slow, using larger brushes will save time and help keep the artist from losing interest in a painting before it is completed.

If you have other ideas, please feel free to share them as comments below.