--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On occasion I omit commas. On occasion, I…" description: "\"On occasion I omit commas. On occasion, I use them. (The more you know about English, the less you're likely to think there are unbreakable \"rules\" for..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/bill-walsh-8609_commas_on-occasion-i-omit-commas-on-occasion-i_2715607.jpg" --- # On occasion I omit commas. On occasion, I use them. (The… ![“On occasion I omit commas. On occasion, I use them. (The more you know about English, the less you're likely to think there are unbreakable "rules" for a lot of these things.)” quote by Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/bill-walsh-8609_commas_on-occasion-i-omit-commas-on-occasion-i_2715607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/bill-walsh-8609_commas_on-occasion-i-omit-commas-on-occasion-i_2715607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/bill-walsh-8609_commas_on-occasion-i-omit-commas-on-occasion-i_2715607.jpg) > “On occasion I omit commas. On occasion, I use them. (The more you know about English, the less you're likely to think there are unbreakable "rules" for a lot of these things.)” [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. English rules are flexible; knowledge reduces perceived rigidity. **In simple terms:** English rules are flexible. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility. Themes language rules learning Mood educational practical Type advisory informative When to use this quote - teaching - writing - editing - public speaking Key Concepts linguistics education theory Questions to Reflect On - When should you follow rules? - How does flexibility improve communication? A Different Perspective Some rules aid clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Omit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omit/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Unbreakable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbreakable/) ## Related quotes > [The proper use of commas is often more art than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/the-proper-use-of-commas-is-often-more-art-than-science/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [The amount of things you ignore is equal to the amount of things you are afraid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cervantes/the-amount-of-things-you-ignore-is-equal-to-the-amount-of-things-you/) [Andrew Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cervantes/) > [My goal is to omit everything superfluous so that the essential is shown to best possible advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/my-goal-is-to-omit-everything-superfluous-so-that-the-essential-is/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [The due of honor in no point omit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-due-of-honor-in-no-point-omit/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Any life will seem dramatic if you omit mention of most of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/any-life-will-seem-dramatic-if-you-omit-mention-of-most-of-it/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [You could omit anything if you knew that the omitted part would strengthen the short story and make people feel something more than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-could-omit-anything-if-you-knew-that-the-omitted-part-would/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Do what nobody else can do for you. Omit to do anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/do-what-nobody-else-can-do-for-you-omit-to-do-anything-else/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [You always end up with too much, so it's good to be part of the conversation about not just what you can omit, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-always-end-up-with-too-much-so-it-s-good-to-be-part-of-the/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I will omit but I will not distort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/i-will-omit-but-i-will-not-distort/) [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) > [A memoir is my version of events. My perspective. I choose what to tell and what to omit. I choose the adjectives to describe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/a-memoir-is-my-version-of-events-my-perspective-i-choose-what-to-tell/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Omit needless words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr-2/omit-needless-words/) [William Strunk Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr-2/) > [General statements omit what we really want to know. Example: some horses run faster than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/general-statements-omit-what-we-really-want-to-know-example-some/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Every duty we omit obscures some truth we should have known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/every-duty-we-omit-obscures-some-truth-we-should-have-known/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [There is but one art, to omit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/there-is-but-one-art-to-omit/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [There is but one art, to omit! Oh, if I knew how to omit I would ask no other knowledge. A man who knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/there-is-but-one-art-to-omit-oh-if-i-knew-how-to-omit-i-would-ask-no/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## More by Bill Walsh > [Instilling the right culture almost always takes time. And inevitably there will be some who balk against your standards. But, you must have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/instilling-the-right-culture-almost-always-takes-time-and-inevitably/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Calculated risks are part of what you do, but the idea that something completely crazy will work just because it's completely crazy is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/calculated-risks-are-part-of-what-you-do-but-the-idea-that-something/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [A harsh reality of newspaper editing is that the deadlines don't allow for the polish that you expect in books or even magazines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/a-harsh-reality-of-newspaper-editing-is-that-the-deadlines-don-t/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [All successful leaders know where we want to go, figure out a way we believe will get the organization there, and then move forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/all-successful-leaders-know-where-we-want-to-go-figure-out-a-way-we/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [The ability to help the people around me self-actualize their goals underlines the single aspect of my abilities and the label that I value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/the-ability-to-help-the-people-around-me-self-actualize-their-goals/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [The running game in pro football has gotten so boring. There's just four or five plays they can run. I think the whole thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/the-running-game-in-pro-football-has-gotten-so-boring-there-s-just/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Everybody isn't everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/everybody-isn-t-everybody/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [You can only succeed when people are communicating, not just from the top down, but in complete interchange. Communication comes from fighting off my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/you-can-only-succeed-when-people-are-communicating-not-just-from-the/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Your enthusiasm becomes their enthusiasm; your lukewarm presentation becomes their lukewarm interest in what you're offering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/your-enthusiasm-becomes-their-enthusiasm-your-lukewarm-presentation/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Victory is produced by and belongs to all. Winning a Super Bowl results from you whole team not only doing their individual jobs but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/victory-is-produced-by-and-belongs-to-all-winning-a-super-bowl/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [One of the common traits of outstanding performers-coaches, athletes, managers, sales representatives, executives, and others who face a daily up/down, win/lose accounting system-is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/one-of-the-common-traits-of-outstanding-performers-coaches-athletes/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Consistent motivation usually comes from a consuming desire to be able to perform at your best under pressure, namely, the pressure produced by tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/consistent-motivation-usually-comes-from-a-consuming-desire-to-be/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Invest in great relationships, they will pay a lifetime of dividends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/invest-in-great-relationships-they-will-pay-a-lifetime-of-dividends/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [There is a weird phenomenon where technology seems to be getting dumber in some ways as it gets smarter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/there-is-a-weird-phenomenon-where-technology-seems-to-be-getting/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Concentrate on what will produce results rather than on the results, the process rather than the prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/concentrate-on-what-will-produce-results-rather-than-on-the-results/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) [Explore all 79 Bill Walsh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) ## More Commas quotes > [Anyone who finds himself putting down several commas close to one another should reflect that he is making himself disagreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-watson-fowler/anyone-who-finds-himself-putting-down-several-commas-close-to-one/) [Henry Watson Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-watson-fowler/) > [Chicken pot pie sounds like such a good idea. If you add commas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/chicken-pot-pie-sounds-like-such-a-good-idea-if-you-add-commas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...my war on commas. They are a pestilence. They must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/my-war-on-commas-they-are-a-pestilence-they-must-be-stopped/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“I tried to put the displacement between parenthesis, to put a last period in a long sentence of the sadness of history, personal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/i-tried-to-put-the-displacement-between-parenthesis-to-put-a-last/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-don-t-use-commas-like-a-stupid-person-i-mean-it/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“You mean that's your idea of desire, with all those commas?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palmer/you-mean-that-s-your-idea-of-desire-with-all-those-commas/) [Michael Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palmer/) > [Commas, like nuns, often travel in pairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-norris/commas-like-nuns-often-travel-in-pairs/) [Mary Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-norris/) > [“1) I’m, a, comma, whore. Apparently, I throw them around like confetti. Or glitter. The title of my next book: WHY COMMAS RULE THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/1-i-m-a-comma-whore-apparently-i-throw-them-around-like-confetti-or/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [Neither death nor wisdom has a full stop. There are only commas-no destinations, only waiting rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/neither-death-nor-wisdom-has-a-full-stop-there-are-only-commas-no/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [“Commas: commas for everyone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hughes/commas-commas-for-everyone/) Aaron Hughes > [I leave my editor to put the periods and commas in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/i-leave-my-editor-to-put-the-periods-and-commas-in/) [Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/) > [The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usable-of-all-the-stops-it-is/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Now, you lose something in your life, or you come into a conflict, and there's gonna come a time that you're gonna know: There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/now-you-lose-something-in-your-life-or-you-come-into-a-conflict-and/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [“Smiles are commas and full stops... and few are those who still know how to put commas and full stops into their words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malek-haddad/smiles-are-commas-and-full-stops-and-few-are-those-who-still-know-how/) Malek Haddad > [I hate commas in the wrong places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-hate-commas-in-the-wrong-places/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) Browse all 43 Commas quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On occasion I omit commas. 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