--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is almost always a greater pleasure to…" description: "\"It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. The period tells you that that is that; if you didn't get all the mean..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/lewis-thomas-2299_expectancy_it-is-almost-always-a-greater-pleasure-t_1017547.jpg" --- # It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a… ![“It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. The period tells you that that is that; if you didn't get all the meaning you wanted or expected, anyway you got all the writer intended to parcel out and now you have to move along. But with a semicolon there you get…” quote by Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/lewis-thomas-2299_expectancy_it-is-almost-always-a-greater-pleasure-t_1017547.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/lewis-thomas-2299_expectancy_it-is-almost-always-a-greater-pleasure-t_1017547.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/lewis-thomas-2299_expectancy_it-is-almost-always-a-greater-pleasure-t_1017547.jpg) > “It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. The period tells you that that is that; if you didn't get all the meaning you wanted or expected, anyway you got all the writer intended to parcel out and now you have to move along. But with a semicolon there you get a pleasant little feeling of expectancy; there is more to come; read on; it will get clearer.” [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Semicolons create anticipation and depth, inviting readers to continue and discover more meaning, unlike periods that end thoughts abruptly. **In simple terms:** Semicolons keep readers engaged and expecting more. Key Takeaway Use semicolons to add nuance and flow. Themes writing punctuation anticipation Mood thoughtful curious Type instructional reflective When to use this quote - creative writing - academic papers - blog posts - marketing copy Key Concepts syntax reader engagement narrative pacing Questions to Reflect On - How does punctuation affect your reading experience? - When might a period be more effective? A Different Perspective Overuse can confuse or disrupt rhythm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Come Semicolon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-semicolon-2247941/) [Expectancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectancy/) [Expected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expected/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Parcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parcel/) [Parcel Semicolon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parcel-semicolon-2247943/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Pleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasant/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Punctuation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punctuation/) [Semicolon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/semicolon/) [Semicolon Period](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/semicolon-period-2247940/) [Semicolon Pleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/semicolon-pleasant-2247942/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“the American essayist Lewis Thomas on the semicolon: The semicolon tells you that there is still some question about the preceding full sentence; something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-american-essayist-lewis-thomas-on-the-semicolon-the-semicolon/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Sometimes you get a glimpse of a semicolon coming, a few lines farther on, and it is like climbing a steep path through woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/sometimes-you-get-a-glimpse-of-a-semicolon-coming-a-few-lines-farther/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [A comma . . . catches the gentle drift of the mind in thought, turning in on itself and back on itself, reversing, redoubling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/a-comma-catches-the-gentle-drift-of-the-mind-in-thought-turning-in-on/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [I use a whole lot of half-assed semicolons; there was one of them just now; that was a semicolon after 'semicolons,' and another one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-use-a-whole-lot-of-half-assed-semicolons-there-was-one-of-them-just/) [Ursula K. 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Change Lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bleuel/stay-strong-love-endlessly-change-lives/) [Amy Bleuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bleuel/) > [How hideous is the semicolon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/how-hideous-is-the-semicolon/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“Academics love the semicolon; their hankering after logic demands a division which is more emphatic than a comma, but not quite as absolute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-klemperer/academics-love-the-semicolon-their-hankering-after-logic-demands-a/) [Victor Klemperer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-klemperer/) > [“The semicolon, my friends, is the punctuation mark we use to join two complete sentences. When we want to separate two complete sentences, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/the-semicolon-my-friends-is-the-punctuation-mark-we-use-to-join-two/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [Syntactic sugar causes cancer of the semicolon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/syntactic-sugar-causes-cancer-of-the-semicolon/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [“You didn’t put a semicolon there — God did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brownn/you-didn-t-put-a-semicolon-there-god-did/) [Eleanor Brownn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brownn/) ## More by Lewis Thomas > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. 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But that would be boasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/i-would-send-the-complete-works-of-johann-sebastian-bach-into-outer/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“Nature abhors a long silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/nature-abhors-a-long-silence/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“The future is too interesting and dangerous to be entrusted to any predictable, reliable agency. We need all the fallibility we can get. 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