Question: I was wondering what the correct word would be for a sentence that is tightly packed with meaning. For example, a good aphorism. An aphorism is short, but has a lot of meaning behind it and requires considerable thought in order to understand it.

I thought of the word *dense* (as in "this is a very dense passage that takes some time to understand"). But in my mind, *dense* implies that its more technical and difficult to read. I'm trying to describe a simple passage that has a lot of meaning behind it. For example, a passage like this:

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> We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. (The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde)
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Edit: Just for more context. I sent the preface of *The Picture of Dorian Grey* to a friend, he quickly read it and said that he didn't understand it, and I said "you have to think about it, that page is really dense." I need a word to replace dense in that context.

Answer: 
Many good answers here. In some situations the word you might be looking for is:

***nuanced***

<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nuanced>

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> Adjective[edit]
>  nuanced ‎(comparative more nuanced, superlative most nuanced)
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> Having nuances; 
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> possessed of multiple layers of detail, pattern, or meaning 
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> The setting sunlight played through the gently waving branches, creating subtly nuanced transitions of color and tone as the shadows swept back and forth in the rosy glow.
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I think I found an answer to my own question:

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> **Pithy** adjective
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> brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor,
>  substance, or meaning
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