--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The rule is: dont use commas like a…" description: "\"The rule is: dont use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.\" — Lynne Truss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/lynne-truss-4153_commas_the-rule-is-dont-use-commas-like-a-stupi_2125419.png" --- # The rule is: dont use commas like a stupid person. I mean… ![“The rule is: dont use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.” quote by Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/lynne-truss-4153_commas_the-rule-is-dont-use-commas-like-a-stupi_2125419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/lynne-truss-4153_commas_the-rule-is-dont-use-commas-like-a-stupi_2125419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/lynne-truss-4153_commas_the-rule-is-dont-use-commas-like-a-stupi_2125419.png) > “The rule is: dont use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.” [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes proper comma usage and criticizes careless writing. **In simple terms:** Avoid using commas incorrectly. Key Takeaway Practice precise punctuation. Themes writing grammar clarity Mood educational critical Type instructional grammatical When to use this quote - academic papers - creative writing - business communication Key Concepts punctuation rules editing Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance rules with voice? - When is a comma optional? A Different Perspective Strict rules can stifle stylistic flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) ## Related quotes > [The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-don-t-use-commas-like-a-stupid-person-i-mean-it/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Commas, like nuns, often travel in pairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-norris/commas-like-nuns-often-travel-in-pairs/) [Mary Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-norris/) > [I like to use as few commas as possible so that sentences will go down in one swallow without touching the sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-frankau/i-like-to-use-as-few-commas-as-possible-so-that-sentences-will-go/) Pamela Frankau > [The proper use of commas is often more art than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/the-proper-use-of-commas-is-often-more-art-than-science/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [Facebook rule: If I'm not in it, dont tag me in your photo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-rule-if-i-m-not-in-it-dont-tag-me-in-your-photo/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I like commas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-like-commas/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Grammar is important. For instance, commas save lives: Let's eat grandpa. Lets eat, grandpa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/grammar-is-important-for-instance-commas-save-lives-let-s-eat-grandpa/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk/3-enclose-parenthetic-expressions-between-commas/) [William Strunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk/) > [“Leave no "full stop" in between the sentences that make up your life story. If anything, let "commas" show that when you were brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/leave-no-full-stop-in-between-the-sentences-that-make-up-your-life/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Commas' nourishes your desires and full-stop kills.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandan-sharma/commas-nourishes-your-desires-and-full-stop-kills/) [Chandan Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chandan-sharma/) > [The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usable-of-all-the-stops-it-is/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“Commas: commas for everyone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hughes/commas-commas-for-everyone/) Aaron Hughes > [“1) I’m, a, comma, whore. Apparently, I throw them around like confetti. Or glitter. The title of my next book: WHY COMMAS RULE THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/1-i-m-a-comma-whore-apparently-i-throw-them-around-like-confetti-or/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [“I tried to put the displacement between parenthesis, to put a last period in a long sentence of the sadness of history, personal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/i-tried-to-put-the-displacement-between-parenthesis-to-put-a-last/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [“...my war on commas. They are a pestilence. They must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/my-war-on-commas-they-are-a-pestilence-they-must-be-stopped/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## More by Lynne Truss > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of "The Lord of the Rings". You must go forth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/evidently-an-a-level-in-english-is-a-sacred-trust-like-something-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a supremely secretive medium of communication - it's like passing a note - and this means we should be very careful what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-supremely-secretive-medium-of-communication-it-s-like/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“Part of one's despair, of course, is that the world cares nothing for the little shocks endured by the sensitive stickler. While we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/part-of-one-s-despair-of-course-is-that-the-world-cares-nothing-for/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-any-true-stickler-you-see-the-sight-of-the-plural-word-book-s/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets \[which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-and-names-1-round-brackets/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a fundamentally sneaky form of communication, which we should despise, but it is such a boon we don't care. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-fundamentally-sneaky-form-of-communication-which-we/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [My favorite thing in the world is a quiz show, 'University Challenge,' so you can see what kind of sad person I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/my-favorite-thing-in-the-world-is-a-quiz-show-university-challenge-so/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“nothing is straightforward in the world of literary taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/nothing-is-straightforward-in-the-world-of-literary-taste/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-is-a-courtesy-designed-to-help-readers-to-understand-a/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-main-advantage-of-working-at-home-is-that-you-get-to-find-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“I think about death sometimes. Analytically, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-think-about-death-sometimes-analytically-of-course/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“For the first time since she met him, she asked herself whether mr Dodgson was really the sunny personality she had at first imagined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-the-first-time-since-she-met-him-she-asked-herself-whether-mr/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“All the important roles shortly boiled down to one: remember your with other people; show some consideration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-the-important-roles-shortly-boiled-down-to-one-remember-your-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Explore all 115 Lynne Truss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## More Commas quotes > [Anyone who finds himself putting down several commas close to one another should reflect that he is making himself disagreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-watson-fowler/anyone-who-finds-himself-putting-down-several-commas-close-to-one/) [Henry Watson Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-watson-fowler/) > [Chicken pot pie sounds like such a good idea. If you add commas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/chicken-pot-pie-sounds-like-such-a-good-idea-if-you-add-commas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...my war on commas. They are a pestilence. They must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/my-war-on-commas-they-are-a-pestilence-they-must-be-stopped/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“I tried to put the displacement between parenthesis, to put a last period in a long sentence of the sadness of history, personal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/i-tried-to-put-the-displacement-between-parenthesis-to-put-a-last/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-don-t-use-commas-like-a-stupid-person-i-mean-it/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“You mean that's your idea of desire, with all those commas?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palmer/you-mean-that-s-your-idea-of-desire-with-all-those-commas/) [Michael Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palmer/) > [Commas, like nuns, often travel in pairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-norris/commas-like-nuns-often-travel-in-pairs/) [Mary Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-norris/) > [“1) I’m, a, comma, whore. Apparently, I throw them around like confetti. Or glitter. The title of my next book: WHY COMMAS RULE THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/1-i-m-a-comma-whore-apparently-i-throw-them-around-like-confetti-or/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [Neither death nor wisdom has a full stop. There are only commas-no destinations, only waiting rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/neither-death-nor-wisdom-has-a-full-stop-there-are-only-commas-no/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [“Commas: commas for everyone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hughes/commas-commas-for-everyone/) Aaron Hughes > [I leave my editor to put the periods and commas in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/i-leave-my-editor-to-put-the-periods-and-commas-in/) [Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/) > [The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usable-of-all-the-stops-it-is/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Now, you lose something in your life, or you come into a conflict, and there's gonna come a time that you're gonna know: There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/now-you-lose-something-in-your-life-or-you-come-into-a-conflict-and/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [“Smiles are commas and full stops... and few are those who still know how to put commas and full stops into their words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malek-haddad/smiles-are-commas-and-full-stops-and-few-are-those-who-still-know-how/) Malek Haddad > [I hate commas in the wrong places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-hate-commas-in-the-wrong-places/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) Browse all 43 Commas quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The rule is: dont use commas like a stupid person. 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