--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The commas are the most useful and usable…" description: "\"The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go along. If you try to come back after ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lewis-thomas-2299_affection_the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usabl_871015.jpg" --- # The commas are the most useful and usable of all the… ![“The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go along. If you try to come back after doing a paragraph and stick them in the various spots that tempt you you will discover that they tend to swarm like minnows into sorts of crevices…” quote by Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lewis-thomas-2299_affection_the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usabl_871015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lewis-thomas-2299_affection_the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usabl_871015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lewis-thomas-2299_affection_the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usabl_871015.jpg) > “The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go along. If you try to come back after doing a paragraph and stick them in the various spots that tempt you you will discover that they tend to swarm like minnows into sorts of crevices whose existence you hadn't realized and before you know it the whole long sentence becomes immobilized and lashed up squirming in commas. Better to use them sparingly, and with affection, precisely when the need for each one arises, nicely, by itself.” [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. The passage advises using commas sparingly and intentionally, treating them as precise tools. **In simple terms:** Use commas carefully and only when needed. Key Takeaway Place commas deliberately, not excessively. Themes writing punctuation clarity precision Mood analytical instructive Type educational practical When to use this quote - drafting essays - editing reports - creative writing - academic papers - technical documentation Key Concepts grammar style editing Questions to Reflect On - When is a comma essential? - How does punctuation affect readability? A Different Perspective Over‑editing commas can disrupt natural flow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Arise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arise/) [Commas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commas/) [Commas Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commas-better-953023/) [Commas Useful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commas-useful-953022/) [Crevice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crevice/) [Doing Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-paragraph-953025/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Minnows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minnows/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph/) [Punctuation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punctuation/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Spots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spots/) [Squirming Commas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squirming-commas-953024/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Swarms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swarms/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“She was never so petty. She did not dabble with minnows at the surface when there were thirty-pound salmon swimming deeper down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/she-was-never-so-petty-she-did-not-dabble-with-minnows-at-the-surface/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [We are standing on a whale fishing for minnows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-are-standing-on-a-whale-fishing-for-minnows/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Freedom for the pike is death for the minnow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-h-tawney/freedom-for-the-pike-is-death-for-the-minnow/) [R. H. Tawney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-h-tawney/) > [The point of the dragonfly's terrible lip, the giant water bug, birdsong, or the beautiful dazzle and flash of sunlighted minnows,is not that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-point-of-the-dragonfly-s-terrible-lip-the-giant-water-bug/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I stayed under the moon too long.I am silvered with lust.Dreams flick like minnows through my eyes.My voice is trees tossing in the wind.I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/i-stayed-under-the-moon-too-long-i-am-silvered-with-lust-dreams-flick/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [“Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dunno/freedom-for-the-pike-is-death-for-the-minnows/) [Dunno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dunno/) > [Drawing inspiration from minnows that have done well is an easy thing to say, but it doesn't work like that in sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eidur-gudjohnsen/drawing-inspiration-from-minnows-that-have-done-well-is-an-easy-thing/) [Eidur Gudjohnsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eidur-gudjohnsen/) > [Beginnings start without shade,Thinner than minnows.The live grass whirls with the sun,Feet run over the simple stones,There's time enough.Behold, in the lout's eye, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/beginnings-start-without-shade-thinner-than-minnows-the-live-grass/) [Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/) > [Life is a bubble in a lake, that glitters for an instant, bursts, and leaves not even a blur on the water; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/life-is-a-bubble-in-a-lake-that-glitters-for-an-instant-bursts-and/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [Never attempt to catch a whale with a minnow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-t-barnum/never-attempt-to-catch-a-whale-with-a-minnow/) [P. T. Barnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-t-barnum/) > [I'm solitary as a pulled tooth, Lonely as an unwelcome truth, Lost as a minnow out of school, A genius in a crop of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-m-solitary-as-a-pulled-tooth-lonely-as-an-unwelcome-truth-lost-as-a/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [Shall remain! Hear you this Triton of the minnows? Mark you His absolute 'shall'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/shall-remain-hear-you-this-triton-of-the-minnows-mark-you-his/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Simplest of blossoms! To mine eye Thou bring'st the summer's painted sky; The May-thorn greening in the nook; The minnows sporting in the brook;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-macbeth-moir/simplest-of-blossoms-to-mine-eye-thou-bring-st-the-summer-s-painted/) [David Macbeth Moir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-macbeth-moir/) > [Brooding, she changed the pool into the sea, and made the minnows into sharks and whales, and cast vast clouds over this tiny world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/brooding-she-changed-the-pool-into-the-sea-and-made-the-minnows-into/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [A silence reigns upon the air, Upon the pansies by the shore, Upon the violets, pale and fair, Upon the willow, bending o'er; The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/a-silence-reigns-upon-the-air-upon-the-pansies-by-the-shore-upon-the/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) ## 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. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“It is not a simple thing to decide where we fit, for at one time or another in our lives we manage to organize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/it-is-not-a-simple-thing-to-decide-where-we-fit-for-at-one-time-or/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [It is in our genes to understand the universe if we can, to keep trying even if we cannot, and to be enchanted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/it-is-in-our-genes-to-understand-the-universe-if-we-can-to-keep/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [If an idea cannot move on its own, pushing it doesn't help; best to let it lie there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/if-an-idea-cannot-move-on-its-own-pushing-it-doesn-t-help-best-to-let/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Left to ourselves, mechanistic and autonomic, we hanker for friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/left-to-ourselves-mechanistic-and-autonomic-we-hanker-for-friends/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [I do not agree with this century's fashion of running down the human species as a failed try, a doomed sport. At our worst,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/i-do-not-agree-with-this-century-s-fashion-of-running-down-the-human/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [It would seem to me... an offense against nature, for us to come on the same scene endowed as we are with the curiosity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/it-would-seem-to-me-an-offense-against-nature-for-us-to-come-on-the/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The drive to be useful is encoded in our genes. But when we gather in very large numbers, as in the modern nation-state, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-drive-to-be-useful-is-encoded-in-our-genes-but-when-we-gather-in/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach into outer space on the Voyager spacecraft. 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. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-future-is-too-interesting-and-dangerous-to-be-entrusted-to-any/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [We pass the word around; we ponder how the case is put by different people, we read the poetry; we meditate over the literature;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-pass-the-word-around-we-ponder-how-the-case-is-put-by-different/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“The uniformity of the earth's life, more astonishing than its diversity, is accountable by the high probability that we derived, originally, from some single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-uniformity-of-the-earth-s-life-more-astonishing-than-its/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Having long suspected that there was something alive in there, running the place, separate from everything else, absolutely individual and independent, we've celebrated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/having-long-suspected-that-there-was-something-alive-in-there-running/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) [Explore all 173 Lewis Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go along. If you try to come back after doing a paragraph and stick them in the various spots that tempt you you will discover that they tend to swarm like minnows into sorts of crevices whose existence you hadn't realized and before you know it the whole long sentence becomes immobilized and lashed up squirming in commas. 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