--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... an initial underscore already conveys…" description: "\"... an initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer.\" — Larry Wall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/larry-wall-1576_computer_an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-st_482337.png" --- # ... an initial underscore already conveys strong feelings… ![“... an initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer.” quote by Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/larry-wall-1576_computer_an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-st_482337.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/larry-wall-1576_computer_an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-st_482337.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/larry-wall-1576_computer_an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-st_482337.png) > “... an initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer.” [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The underscore character, when placed at the start of a name, evokes a sense of enchantment for programmers familiar with C. **In simple terms:** Leading underscores feel magical to C programmers. Key Takeaway Use naming conventions deliberately. Themes programming syntax culture Mood playful reflective Type technical cultural When to use this quote - code readability - team standards - legacy code - API design Key Concepts C language naming conventions psychology Questions to Reflect On - Does naming affect code perception? - When is a leading underscore appropriate? A Different Perspective Some may view it as unnecessary flair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Programmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programmers/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Strong feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-feeling/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [The job, when you write film underscore, is to be ignored. 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People with great passions, people who accomplish great deeds, people who possess strong feelings, even people with great minds and a strong personality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-with-great-passions-people-who-accomplish-great-deeds-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My own strong feeling was that the gay liberation movement really got national attraction in the truest sense of the word later in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/my-own-strong-feeling-was-that-the-gay-liberation-movement-really-got/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [To love somebody is not just a strong feeling - it is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/to-love-somebody-is-not-just-a-strong-feeling-it-is-a-decision-it-is/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [After the oil spill, I had this strong feeling that if I ever were to be blessed in having children, I never wanted my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/after-the-oil-spill-i-had-this-strong-feeling-that-if-i-ever-were-to/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [The more you get hurt, the more you become wise and strong. You may not feeling happy now, but someday somewhere TRUE LOVE will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhunna-rebusora/the-more-you-get-hurt-the-more-you-become-wise-and-strong-you-may-not/) [Jhunna Rebusora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhunna-rebusora/) > [How many times have I wondered if it is really possible to forge links with a mass of people when one has never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/how-many-times-have-i-wondered-if-it-is-really-possible-to-forge/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) > [I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I have really strong feelings about sex scenes in movies. I care a lot about sexuality and how it's depicted in mainstream media, period,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiree-akhavan/i-have-really-strong-feelings-about-sex-scenes-in-movies-i-care-a-lot/) [Desiree Akhavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiree-akhavan/) > [No deep and strong feeling, such as we may come across here and there in the world, is unmixed with compassion. The more we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/no-deep-and-strong-feeling-such-as-we-may-come-across-here-and-there/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [I never minded giving my opinions. They are just opinions, and I had studied music and I had strong feelings. I was happy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-never-minded-giving-my-opinions-they-are-just-opinions-and-i-had/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead, you never look back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-have-very-strong-feelings-about-how-you-lead-your-life-you-always/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/) [Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/) ## More by Larry Wall > [Not that I have anything much against redundancy. But I said that already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/not-that-i-have-anything-much-against-redundancy-but-i-said-that/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Perhaps you should compile your Perl with long doubles one of these megaseconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/perhaps-you-should-compile-your-perl-with-long-doubles-one-of-these/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Take Lisp, you know its the most beautiful language in the world -- at least up until Haskell came along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/take-lisp-you-know-its-the-most-beautiful-language-in-the-world-at/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I'm reminded of the day my daughter came in, looked over my shoulder at some Perl 4 code, and said, 'What is that, swearing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-m-reminded-of-the-day-my-daughter-came-in-looked-over-my-shoulder/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Yes, but I did manage to increase the amount of virginity in the world by that method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/yes-but-i-did-manage-to-increase-the-amount-of-virginity-in-the-world/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I won't mention any names, because I don't want to get sun4's into trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-won-t-mention-any-names-because-i-don-t-want-to-get-sun4-s-into/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [And besides, if Perl really takes off in the Windows space, I think the rest of us would just as soon have a double-agent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/and-besides-if-perl-really-takes-off-in-the-windows-space-i-think-the/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [In general, they do what you want, unless you want consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/in-general-they-do-what-you-want-unless-you-want-consistency/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I suppose you could switch grammars once you've seen 'use strict subs'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-suppose-you-could-switch-grammars-once-you-ve-seen-use-strict-subs/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [While I have historically been a late worker, you know, sometimes I even like to get up early and see what's happened in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/while-i-have-historically-been-a-late-worker-you-know-sometimes-i/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [All language designers are arrogant. Goes with the territory...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/all-language-designers-are-arrogant-goes-with-the-territory/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Perl has a long tradition of working around compilers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/perl-has-a-long-tradition-of-working-around-compilers/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Part of language design is perturbing the proposed feature in various directions to see how it might generalize in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/part-of-language-design-is-perturbing-the-proposed-feature-in-various/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [We can debug relationships, but it's always good policy to consider the people themselves to be features. 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I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. 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I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) [Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "... an initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Larry Wall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-strong-feelings-of-magicalness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Computer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-strong-feelings-of-magicalness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/larry-wall-1576_computer_an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-st_482337.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/larry-wall-1576_computer_an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-st_482337.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/larry-wall-1576_computer_an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-st_482337.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“... an initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer.” — Larry Wall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Larry Wall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "... an initial underscore already conveys...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-strong-feelings-of-magicalness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/an-initial-underscore-already-conveys-strong-feelings-of-magicalness/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```