Nature Quote by Lynne Truss
““the Law of Conservation of Apostrophes. A heresy since the 13th century, this law states that a balance exists in nature: “For every apostrophe omitted from an it’s, there is an extra one put into an its.” Thus the number of apostrophes in circulation remains constant, even if this means we have double the reason to go and bang our heads against a wall.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss, 2003
A humorous pseudo‑law suggests that apostrophes are conserved: each omitted one creates an extra elsewhere, keeping the total constant.
In simple terms: Apostrophes are humorously said to be conserved.
Key Takeaway
Watch punctuation carefully to avoid unnecessary errors.
Themes
language
humor
punctuation
grammar
conservation
Mood
playful
ironic
Type
satirical
educational
When to use this quote
- editing
- writing
- proofreading
- teaching grammar
- publishing
Key Concepts
linguistic play
satire
meta‑commentary
Questions to Reflect On
- Do we over‑focus on minor details?
- How does humor reveal linguistic quirks?
A Different Perspective
The joke highlights how trivial rules can become absurd when over‑analyzed.
![“Late Friday morning I was driving toward Boulder. I was seated in "Doctor Lovebeads Cosmic Wonderbus and Mobile Mercantile." That entire phrase was painted in psychedelic colors on both sides of the van. But I left out the possessive apostrophe on "Lovebus[']" in order to show my contempt for…” quote by Gary Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/228/gary-reilly-13028_friday-morning_late-friday-morning-i-was-driving-toward_690871.jpg)
![“Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets [which we call square brackets, and the Americans call brackets]” quote by Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b33/lynne-truss-4153_brackets_brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-an_222507.jpg)
