---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations…"
description: "\"Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations should be used to the maximum extent possible to make trivial ideas profound ... Q.E.D.\" — Norman Ralph Augus..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_abbreviations_law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations_2796828.png"
---

#  Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations should be used…

![“Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations should be used to the maximum extent possible to make trivial ideas profound ... Q.E.D.” quote by Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_abbreviations_law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations_2796828.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_abbreviations_law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations_2796828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_abbreviations_law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations_2796828.png)

> “Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations should be used to the maximum extent possible to make trivial ideas profound ... Q.E.D.”

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Excessive use of acronyms makes simple ideas appear profound, but can obscure meaning.

**In simple terms:** Acronyms can mask simplicity.

Key Takeaway

Use clear language over jargon.

Themes

communication clarity bureaucracy

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

professional educational

When to use this quote

- business reports
- technical documentation
- academic writing
- policy drafting

Key Concepts

linguistics information theory

Questions to Reflect On

- When do acronyms help?
- How can you simplify complex ideas?

A Different Perspective

Overuse may alienate audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abbreviations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abbreviations/) [Acronyms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acronyms/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/)

## Related quotes

> [“These reports that are not explained by natural phenomena or exploding outhouses are known as UFO's, which is the official abbreviation for Unidentified Flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuthbert-soup/these-reports-that-are-not-explained-by-natural-phenomena-or/)

[Cuthbert Soup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuthbert-soup/)

> [“rolf! what? are you really rolling on the floor laughing? well, please stay down there for a sec while I KICK YOUR ASS.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/rolf-what-are-you-really-rolling-on-the-floor-laughing-well-please/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [DNA is an abbreviation for deoxyribonucleicantidisestablishmentarianism, a complex string of syllables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/dna-is-an-abbreviation-for/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [The word abbreviation sure is long for what it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-galifianakis/the-word-abbreviation-sure-is-long-for-what-it-means/)

[Zach Galifianakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-galifianakis/)

> [G.U: be careful of how you choose your abbreviations in life cause its either you Give Up or Get Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simie/g-u-be-careful-of-how-you-choose-your-abbreviations-in-life-cause-its/)

[Simie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simie/)

> [Swear words and profanities are mere abbreviations of speech, similar to the abbreviations in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/swear-words-and-profanities-are-mere-abbreviations-of-speech-similar/)

[Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/)

> [Artistic accounts involve severe abbreviations of what reality will force upon us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/artistic-accounts-involve-severe-abbreviations-of-what-reality-will/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [SM is an abbreviation of both stock market and sadomasochism-- and there are those who think they are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/sm-is-an-abbreviation-of-both-stock-market-and-sadomasochism-and/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [The abbreviations (e.g. NATO, UN, USSR - E.W.) denote that and only that which is institutionalized in such a way that the transcending connotation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-abbreviations-e-g-nato-un-ussr-e-w-denote-that-and-only-that/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [There is no fast, easy shortcut for the word abbreviation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/there-is-no-fast-easy-shortcut-for-the-word-abbreviation/)

[Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/)

> [NOT everyone in this world has the fate to cherish the fullest form of love. some are born ,just to experience the abbreviation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravinder-singh/not-everyone-in-this-world-has-the-fate-to-cherish-the-fullest-form/)

[Ravinder Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravinder-singh/)

> [A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fats-domino/a-lot-of-fellows-nowadays-have-a-b-a-m-d-or-ph-d-unfortunately-they/)

[Fats Domino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fats-domino/)

> [What modern technology has done has afforded us the luxury of abbreviation and being concise with time, I think. Things that it would take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-broadrick/what-modern-technology-has-done-has-afforded-us-the-luxury-of/)

[Justin Broadrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-broadrick/)

> [When people complain of the decay of manners they have in mind not the impudent abbreviations of the crowd, but the decline in bowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson-lynd/when-people-complain-of-the-decay-of-manners-they-have-in-mind-not/)

[Robert Wilson Lynd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson-lynd/)

> [The name Alaska is probably an abbreviation of Unalaska, derived from the original Aleut word agunalaksh, which means "the shores where the sea breaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-ford/the-name-alaska-is-probably-an-abbreviation-of-unalaska-derived-from/)

[Corey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-ford/)

## More by Norman Ralph Augustine

> [Regulations grow at the same rate as weeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/regulations-grow-at-the-same-rate-as-weeds/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [By the time of the United States Tricentennial, there will be more government workers than there are workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/by-the-time-of-the-united-states-tricentennial-there-will-be-more/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Law Number XXXIX: Never promise to complete any project within six months of the end of the year, in either direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xxxix-never-promise-to-complete-any-project-within-six/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Law Number XIV: After the year 2015, there will be no airplane crashes. There will be no takeoffs either, because electronics will occupy 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xiv-after-the-year-2015-there-will-be-no-airplane-crashes/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [If the Earth could be made to rotate twice as fast, managers would get twice as much done. If the Earth could be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/if-the-earth-could-be-made-to-rotate-twice-as-fast-managers-would-get/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [People working in the private sector should try to save money. There remains the possibility that it may someday be valuable again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/people-working-in-the-private-sector-should-try-to-save-money-there/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Software is like entropy. It is difficult to grasp, weighs nothing, and obeys the second law of thermodynamics; i.e. it always increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/software-is-like-entropy-it-is-difficult-to-grasp-weighs-nothing-and/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [The most unsuccessful three years in the education of cost estimators appears to be fifth-grade arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-most-unsuccessful-three-years-in-the-education-of-cost-estimators/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Rank does not intimidate hardware. Neither does the lack of rank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/rank-does-not-intimidate-hardware-neither-does-the-lack-of-rank/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [By the time the people asking the questions are ready for the answers, the people doing the work have lost track of the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/by-the-time-the-people-asking-the-questions-are-ready-for-the-answers/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [All too many consultants, when asked, 'What is 2 and 2?' respond, 'What do you have in mind?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/all-too-many-consultants-when-asked-what-is-2-and-2-respond-what-do/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Law Number XXVIII: It is better to be the reorganizer than the reorganizee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xxviii-it-is-better-to-be-the-reorganizer-than-the/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [If you can afford to advertise, you don't need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/if-you-can-afford-to-advertise-you-don-t-need-to/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [For every scientific (or engineering) action, there is an equal and opposite social reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/for-every-scientific-or-engineering-action-there-is-an-equal-and/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [A billion saved is a billion earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/a-billion-saved-is-a-billion-earned/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

[Explore all 63 Norman Ralph Augustine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

## More Abbreviations quotes

> [The name Alaska is probably an abbreviation of Unalaska, derived from the original Aleut word agunalaksh, which means "the shores where the sea breaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-ford/the-name-alaska-is-probably-an-abbreviation-of-unalaska-derived-from/)

[Corey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-ford/)

> [When people complain of the decay of manners they have in mind not the impudent abbreviations of the crowd, but the decline in bowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson-lynd/when-people-complain-of-the-decay-of-manners-they-have-in-mind-not/)

[Robert Wilson Lynd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson-lynd/)

> [“rolf! what? are you really rolling on the floor laughing? well, please stay down there for a sec while I KICK YOUR ASS.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/rolf-what-are-you-really-rolling-on-the-floor-laughing-well-please/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [What modern technology has done has afforded us the luxury of abbreviation and being concise with time, I think. Things that it would take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-broadrick/what-modern-technology-has-done-has-afforded-us-the-luxury-of/)

[Justin Broadrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-broadrick/)

> [A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fats-domino/a-lot-of-fellows-nowadays-have-a-b-a-m-d-or-ph-d-unfortunately-they/)

[Fats Domino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fats-domino/)

> [NOT everyone in this world has the fate to cherish the fullest form of love. some are born ,just to experience the abbreviation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravinder-singh/not-everyone-in-this-world-has-the-fate-to-cherish-the-fullest-form/)

[Ravinder Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravinder-singh/)

> [There is no fast, easy shortcut for the word abbreviation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/there-is-no-fast-easy-shortcut-for-the-word-abbreviation/)

[Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/)

> [The abbreviations (e.g. NATO, UN, USSR - E.W.) denote that and only that which is institutionalized in such a way that the transcending connotation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-abbreviations-e-g-nato-un-ussr-e-w-denote-that-and-only-that/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [SM is an abbreviation of both stock market and sadomasochism-- and there are those who think they are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/sm-is-an-abbreviation-of-both-stock-market-and-sadomasochism-and/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [Artistic accounts involve severe abbreviations of what reality will force upon us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/artistic-accounts-involve-severe-abbreviations-of-what-reality-will/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [Swear words and profanities are mere abbreviations of speech, similar to the abbreviations in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/swear-words-and-profanities-are-mere-abbreviations-of-speech-similar/)

[Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/)

> [G.U: be careful of how you choose your abbreviations in life cause its either you Give Up or Get Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simie/g-u-be-careful-of-how-you-choose-your-abbreviations-in-life-cause-its/)

[Simie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simie/)

> [The word abbreviation sure is long for what it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-galifianakis/the-word-abbreviation-sure-is-long-for-what-it-means/)

[Zach Galifianakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-galifianakis/)

> [DNA is an abbreviation for deoxyribonucleicantidisestablishmentarianism, a complex string of syllables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/dna-is-an-abbreviation-for/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [A pun, though despicable in itself, can be the noblest vehicle of an artistic intention by serving as the abbreviation of a wittyview. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-pun-though-despicable-in-itself-can-be-the-noblest-vehicle-of-an/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

[Browse all 26 Abbreviations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abbreviations/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations should be used to the maximum extent possible to make trivial ideas profound ... Q.E.D.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Norman Ralph Augustine"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations-should-be-used-to-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Abbreviations"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations-should-be-used-to-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_abbreviations_law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations_2796828.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_abbreviations_law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations_2796828.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_abbreviations_law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations_2796828.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations should be used to the maximum extent possible to make trivial…” — Norman Ralph Augustine",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Norman Ralph Augustine",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Law Number IX: Acronyms and abbreviations...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations-should-be-used-to-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-ix-acronyms-and-abbreviations-should-be-used-to-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
