Prioritizing text such as e-mail messages, given constrained resources, is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method first receives a plurality of messages, such as e-mail messages. The method prioritizes the messages, based on a predetermined criteria given a constrained resource. The method then outputs the messages to a user, as prioritized given the constrained resource. Specific constrained resources include limited bandwidth, limited storage space, and limited time in which to receive the texts. Embodiments include policies that include priority-sensitive truncation and summarization. Furthermore, in one embodiment, if context is detected, the priorities for caching are affected. In another embodiment, the likelihood that a user already knows all or part of the information being transmitted is considered.