Attention Quote by Lewis Thomas
“Exclamation points are the most irritating of all. Look! they say, look at what I just said! How amazing is my thought! It is like being forced to watch someone else's small child jumping up and down crazily in the center of the living room shouting to attract attention. If a sentence really has something of importance to say, something quite remarkable, it doesn't need a mark to point it out. And if it is really, after all, a banal sentence needing more zing, the exclamation point simply emphasizes its banality!”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Lives of a Cell, Lewis Thomas, 1974
Exclamation marks are overused for emphasis, turning even mundane statements into exaggerated drama.
In simple terms: Exclamation points overstate simple ideas.
Key Takeaway
Use punctuation deliberately, not for hype.
Themes
communication
punctuation
expression
Mood
irritated
critical
Type
observational
critical
When to use this quote
- writing
- editing
- public speaking
- social media posts
- teaching grammar
Key Concepts
Rhetoric
tone
semantic overload
Questions to Reflect On
- When does emphasis become noise?
- How does punctuation affect perceived sincerity?
A Different Perspective
Excessive exclamation can undermine credibility and dilute genuine excitement.
![“I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with [my wife] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and I just had such a strong reaction to the prayer. And I was really emotionally - I felt really grounded at that time. And so to be in this prayer and the imam is doing the prayer in…” quote by Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d31/mahershala-ali-6687_attention_i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with_3083.jpg)
