--- title: "16 Writing Quotes By Lynne Truss" description: "16 Writing quotes by Lynne Truss. Plus more from Lynne Truss and more Writing sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/lynne-truss-4153_artist_writers-and-painters-alike-are-in-the-bu_1533700.png" --- > [Writers and painters alike are in the business of consulting their own imaginations, and stimulating the imaginations of others. Together, and separately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/writers-and-painters-alike-are-in-the-business-of-consulting-their/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/lynne-truss-4153_artist_writers-and-painters-alike-are-in-the-bu_1533700.png) > [“The American writer Donald Barthelme wrote that the semicolon is “ugly, ugly as a tick on a dog’s belly”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-american-writer-donald-barthelme-wrote-that-the-semicolon-is-ugly/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/lynne-truss-4153_american-writer_the-american-writer-donald-barthelme-wro_898003.png) > [We read privately, mentally listening to the author's voice and translating the writer's thoughts. The book remains static and fixed; the reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/we-read-privately-mentally-listening-to-the-author-s-voice-and/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/440/lynne-truss-4153_book_we-read-privately-mentally-listening-to_879746.png) > [“humorous writing, the exclamation mark is the equivalent of canned laughter (F. Scott Fitzgerald – that well-known knockabout gag-man – said it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/humorous-writing-the-exclamation-mark-is-the-equivalent-of-canned/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/lynne-truss-4153_exclamation_humorous-writing-the-exclamation-mark-is_1167448.png) > [If you still persist in writing, "Good food at it's best", you deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/if-you-still-persist-in-writing-good-food-at-it-s-best-you-deserve-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/lynne-truss-4153_buried_if-you-still-persist-in-writing-good-foo_2309431.jpg) > [What the semicolon's anxious supporters fret about is the tendency of contemporary writers to use a dash instead of a semicolon and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/what-the-semicolon-s-anxious-supporters-fret-about-is-the-tendency-of-2/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/lynne-truss-4153_alarmists_what-the-semicolon-s-anxious-supporters_3112481.png) > [“What the semicolon’s anxious supporters fret about is the tendency of contemporary writers to use a dash instead of a semicolon and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/what-the-semicolon-s-anxious-supporters-fret-about-is-the-tendency-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/lynne-truss-4153_end-of-the-world_what-the-semicolon-s-anxious-supporters_1974903.png) > [To those who care about punctuation, a sentence such as "Thank God its Friday" (without the apostrophe) rouses feelings not only of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/to-those-who-care-about-punctuation-a-sentence-such-as-thank-god-its/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/lynne-truss-4153_average_to-those-who-care-about-punctuation-a-se_662395.jpg) > [“I have been told that the dying words of one famous 20th-century writer were, “I should have used fewer semicolons” – and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-have-been-told-that-the-dying-words-of-one-famous-20th-century/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/lynne-truss-4153_death_i-have-been-told-that-the-dying-words-of_2857700.png) > [All writers learn this, in time: don't show your work to other people until it's safely finished. Even discussing your unborn book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-writers-learn-this-in-time-don-t-show-your-work-to-other-people/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/lynne-truss-4153_book_all-writers-learn-this-in-time-don-t-sho_1149219.jpg) > [“Writers jealous of their individual style are obliged to wring the utmost effect from a tiny range of marks – which explains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/writers-jealous-of-their-individual-style-are-obliged-to-wring-the/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4a/lynne-truss-4153_copy-editors_writers-jealous-of-their-individual-styl_537966.jpg) > [“No matter that you have a PhD and have read all of Henry James twice. If you still persist in writing, "Good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/no-matter-that-you-have-a-phd-and-have-read-all-of-henry-james-twice/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/lynne-truss-4153_books_no-matter-that-you-have-a-phd-and-have-r_498237.png) > [“Joseph Robertson wrote in an essay on punctuation in 1785, “The art of punctuation is of infinite consequence in writing; as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/joseph-robertson-wrote-in-an-essay-on-punctuation-in-1785-the-art-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/lynne-truss-4153_art_joseph-robertson-wrote-in-an-essay-on-pu_569977.png) > [It should come as no surprise that writers take an interest in punctuation. I have been told that the dying words of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/it-should-come-as-no-surprise-that-writers-take-an-interest-in/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/lynne-truss-4153_20th-century_it-should-come-as-no-surprise-that-write_1885838.jpg) > [The rule is: the word 'it's' (with apostrophe) stands for 'it is' or 'it has'. If the word does not stand for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-the-word-it-s-with-apostrophe-stands-for-it-is-or-it-has/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/lynne-truss-4153_buried_the-rule-is-the-word-it-s-with-apostroph_3184639.jpg) > [“Clicking on "send" has its limitations as a system of subtle communication. Which is why, of course, people use so many dashes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/clicking-on-send-has-its-limitations-as-a-system-of-subtle/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/519/lynne-truss-4153_communication_clicking-on-send-has-its-limitations-as_730937.jpg) ## Other authors on Writing - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b022/author-stephen-king-87054.jpg) Stephen King 345 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/stephen-king/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b009/author-ernest-hemingway-33795.jpg) Ernest Hemingway 243 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/ernest-hemingway/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b020/author-ray-bradbury-77494.jpg) Ray Bradbury 186 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/ray-bradbury/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-neil-gaiman-70689.jpg) Neil Gaiman 185 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/neil-gaiman/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b004/author-anne-lamott-13804.jpg) Anne Lamott 153 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/anne-lamott/) - [Samuel Johnson 134 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/samuel-johnson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-haruki-murakami-40784.jpg) Haruki Murakami 130 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/haruki-murakami/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-virginia-woolf-93906.jpg) Virginia Woolf 128 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/virginia-woolf/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b015/author-kurt-vonnegut-58049.jpg) Kurt Vonnegut 123 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/kurt-vonnegut/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b010/author-george-saunders-37966.jpg) George Saunders 118 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/george-saunders/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-joyce-carol-oates-53785.jpg) Joyce Carol Oates 110 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/joyce-carol-oates/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-natalie-goldberg-70301.jpg) Natalie Goldberg 107 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/natalie-goldberg/) ## More by Lynne Truss > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of "The Lord of the Rings". You must go forth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/evidently-an-a-level-in-english-is-a-sacred-trust-like-something-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a supremely secretive medium of communication - it's like passing a note - and this means we should be very careful what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-supremely-secretive-medium-of-communication-it-s-like/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“Part of one's despair, of course, is that the world cares nothing for the little shocks endured by the sensitive stickler. While we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/part-of-one-s-despair-of-course-is-that-the-world-cares-nothing-for/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-any-true-stickler-you-see-the-sight-of-the-plural-word-book-s/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets \[which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-and-names-1-round-brackets/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a fundamentally sneaky form of communication, which we should despise, but it is such a boon we don't care. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-fundamentally-sneaky-form-of-communication-which-we/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [My favorite thing in the world is a quiz show, 'University Challenge,' so you can see what kind of sad person I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/my-favorite-thing-in-the-world-is-a-quiz-show-university-challenge-so/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“nothing is straightforward in the world of literary taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/nothing-is-straightforward-in-the-world-of-literary-taste/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-is-a-courtesy-designed-to-help-readers-to-understand-a/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-main-advantage-of-working-at-home-is-that-you-get-to-find-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“I think about death sometimes. Analytically, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-think-about-death-sometimes-analytically-of-course/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“For the first time since she met him, she asked herself whether mr Dodgson was really the sunny personality she had at first imagined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-the-first-time-since-she-met-him-she-asked-herself-whether-mr/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“All the important roles shortly boiled down to one: remember your with other people; show some consideration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-the-important-roles-shortly-boiled-down-to-one-remember-your-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/lynne-truss/#itemlist", "name": "16 Writing Quotes By Lynne Truss", "numberOfItems": 16, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writers and painters alike are in the business of consulting their own imaginations, and stimulating the imaginations of others. 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Scott Fitzgerald – that well-known knockabout gag-man – said it was like laughing at your own jokes),”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/humorous-writing-the-exclamation-mark-is-the-equivalent-of-canned/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/lynne-truss-4153_exclamation_humorous-writing-the-exclamation-mark-is_1167448.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/lynne-truss-4153_exclamation_humorous-writing-the-exclamation-mark-is_1167448.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/lynne-truss-4153_exclamation_humorous-writing-the-exclamation-mark-is_1167448.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“humorous writing, the exclamation mark is the equivalent of canned laughter (F. 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The confusion of the possessive \"its\" (no apostrophe) with the contractive \"it's\" (with apostrophe) is an unequivocal signal of illiteracy and sets off a Pavlovian \"kill\" response in the average stickler.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/to-those-who-care-about-punctuation-a-sentence-such-as-thank-god-its/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/lynne-truss-4153_average_to-those-who-care-about-punctuation-a-se_662395.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/lynne-truss-4153_average_to-those-who-care-about-punctuation-a-se_662395.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/lynne-truss-4153_average_to-those-who-care-about-punctuation-a-se_662395.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To those who care about punctuation, a sentence such as \"Thank God its Friday\" (without the apostrophe)…” — Lynne Truss", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have been told that the dying words of one famous 20th-century writer were, “I should have used fewer semicolons” – and although I have spent months fruitlessly trying to track down the chap responsible, I believe it none the less. 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Even discussing your unborn book in quite general terms can be such an undermining experience that, afterwards, you give it up and go to live in Guatemala.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-writers-learn-this-in-time-don-t-show-your-work-to-other-people/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/lynne-truss-4153_book_all-writers-learn-this-in-time-don-t-sho_1149219.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/lynne-truss-4153_book_all-writers-learn-this-in-time-don-t-sho_1149219.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/lynne-truss-4153_book_all-writers-learn-this-in-time-don-t-sho_1149219.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All writers learn this, in time: don't show your work to other people until it's safely finished. 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If you still persist in writing, \"Good food at it's best\", you deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/no-matter-that-you-have-a-phd-and-have-read-all-of-henry-james-twice/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/lynne-truss-4153_books_no-matter-that-you-have-a-phd-and-have-r_498237.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/lynne-truss-4153_books_no-matter-that-you-have-a-phd-and-have-r_498237.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/lynne-truss-4153_books_no-matter-that-you-have-a-phd-and-have-r_498237.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No matter that you have a PhD and have read all of Henry James twice. 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I have been told that the dying words of one famous 20th-century writer were, \"I should have used fewer semicolons\" - and although I have spent months fruitlessly trying to track down the chap responsible, I believe it none the less. If it turns out that no one actually did say this on their deathbed, I shall certainly save it up for my own.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/it-should-come-as-no-surprise-that-writers-take-an-interest-in/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/lynne-truss-4153_20th-century_it-should-come-as-no-surprise-that-write_1885838.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/lynne-truss-4153_20th-century_it-should-come-as-no-surprise-that-write_1885838.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/lynne-truss-4153_20th-century_it-should-come-as-no-surprise-that-write_1885838.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It should come as no surprise that writers take an interest in punctuation. 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If you still persist in writing, 'Good food at it's best', you deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-the-word-it-s-with-apostrophe-stands-for-it-is-or-it-has/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/lynne-truss-4153_buried_the-rule-is-the-word-it-s-with-apostroph_3184639.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/lynne-truss-4153_buried_the-rule-is-the-word-it-s-with-apostroph_3184639.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/lynne-truss-4153_buried_the-rule-is-the-word-it-s-with-apostroph_3184639.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The rule is: the word 'it's' (with apostrophe) stands for 'it is' or 'it has'. If the word does not stand…” — Lynne Truss", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 16, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Clicking on \"send\" has its limitations as a system of subtle communication. Which is why, of course, people use so many dashes and italics and capitals (\"I AM joking!\") to compensate. That's why they came up with the emoticon, too—the emoticon being the greatest (or most desperate, depending how you look at it) advance in punctuation since the question mark in the reign of Charlemagne. You will know all about emoticons. Emoticons are the proper name for smileys. And a smiley is, famously, this: :—) Forget the idea of selecting the right words in the right order and channelling the reader's attention by means of artful pointing. Just add the right emoticon to your email and everyone will know what self-expressive effect you thought you kind-of had in mind. Anyone interested in punctuation has a dual reason to feel aggrieved about smileys, because not only are they a paltry substitute for expressing oneself properly; they are also designed by people who evidently thought the punctuation marks on the standard keyboard cried out for an ornamental function. What's this dot-on-top-of-a-dot thing for? What earthly good is it? Well, if you look at it sideways, it could be a pair of eyes. What's this curvy thing for? It's a mouth, look! Hey, I think we're on to something. :—( Now it's sad! ;—) It looks like it's winking! :—r It looks like it's sticking its tongue out! The permutations may be endless: :~/ mixed up! <:—) dunce! :—[ pouting! :—O surprise! Well, that's enough. I've just spotted a third reason to loathe emoticons, which is that when they pass from fashion (and I do hope they already have), future generations will associate punctuation marks with an outmoded and rather primitive graphic pastime and despise them all the more. \"Why do they still have all these keys with things like dots and spots and eyes and mouths and things?\" they will grumble. \"Nobody does smileys any more.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/clicking-on-send-has-its-limitations-as-a-system-of-subtle/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/519/lynne-truss-4153_communication_clicking-on-send-has-its-limitations-as_730937.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/519/lynne-truss-4153_communication_clicking-on-send-has-its-limitations-as_730937.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/519/lynne-truss-4153_communication_clicking-on-send-has-its-limitations-as_730937.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "““Clicking on \"send\" has its limitations as a system of subtle communication. 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