--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My attitude toward punctuation is that it…" description: "\"My attitude toward punctuation is that it ought to be as conventional as possible. The game of golf would lose a good deal if croquet mallets and billi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ernest-hemingway-83_able_my-attitude-toward-punctuation-is-that-i_1306260.jpg" --- # My attitude toward punctuation is that it ought to be as… ![“My attitude toward punctuation is that it ought to be as conventional as possible. The game of golf would lose a good deal if croquet mallets and billiard cues were allowed on the putting green. You ought to be able to show that you can do it a good deal better than anyone else with the regular…” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ernest-hemingway-83_able_my-attitude-toward-punctuation-is-that-i_1306260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ernest-hemingway-83_able_my-attitude-toward-punctuation-is-that-i_1306260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/ernest-hemingway-83_able_my-attitude-toward-punctuation-is-that-i_1306260.jpg) > “My attitude toward punctuation is that it ought to be as conventional as possible. The game of golf would lose a good deal if croquet mallets and billiard cues were allowed on the putting green. You ought to be able to show that you can do it a good deal better than anyone else with the regular tools before you have a license to bring in your own improvements.” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He believes rules exist to ensure fairness; only after mastering them should one innovate. **In simple terms:** Follow rules before changing them. Key Takeaway Master basics before adding personal flair. Themes discipline creativity fairness Mood reflective analytical Type advice observational When to use this quote - sports - writing - professional licensing - tool usage Key Concepts conventionalism skill mastery innovation Questions to Reflect On - When is it appropriate to break a rule? - How do standards foster competition? A Different Perspective Innovation may be limited by strict adherence to tradition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Croquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/croquet/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf/) [Grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar/) [Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvement/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) ## Related quotes > [The game of golf would lose a great deal if croquet mallets and billiard cues were allowed on the putting green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-game-of-golf-would-lose-a-great-deal-if-croquet-mallets-and/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [In tennis you move a lot. Golf you don't. In tennis, you can have a bad half-hour, but you can't in golf. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-lendl/in-tennis-you-move-a-lot-golf-you-don-t-in-tennis-you-can-have-a-bad/) [Ivan Lendl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-lendl/) > [In tennis you move a lot. Golf you dont. In tennis, you can have a bad half-hour, but you cant in golf. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-lendl/in-tennis-you-move-a-lot-golf-you-dont-in-tennis-you-can-have-a-bad/) [Ivan Lendl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-lendl/) > [“Monogamy is like croquet: you get the hang of it, eventually, but it’s never fun to play.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-nogueira-cury/monogamy-is-like-croquet-you-get-the-hang-of-it-eventually-but-it-s/) W. Nogueira Cury > [It was a universal truth among males that anytime you saw a guy get it in the nuts, you experienced a shot of phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/it-was-a-universal-truth-among-males-that-anytime-you-saw-a-guy-get/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [You're doing it again. Using reason to argue faith. Can't be done. Like playing croquet with a crochet hook. Sounds something like the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-doing-it-again-using-reason-to-argue-faith-can-t-be-done-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing against herself, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/once-she-remembered-trying-to-box-her-own-ears-for-having-cheated/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [I am not a Jew for Jesus but I am definitely a Jew for Christmas. 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It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Creation's probably overrated. 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