Among the losses punctuation suffers through the decay of language is the slash mark or diagonal… – Theodor W. Adorno (1903–1969), “Punctuation Marks,” Notes to Literature, V

The rules of punctuation seem arbitrary. How can they not, when an apostrophe looks like nothing in this world so much as a comma that can’t keep its feet on the ground? Or when, by simply placing next to that wafting comma its twin, one creates (of all things) a quotation mark? – Richard Lederer and John Shore, Comma Sense: A Fun-damental Guide to Punctuation

“Correct” spelling, indeed, is one of the arts that are far more esteemed by schoolma’ams than by practical men, neck-deep in the heat and agony of the world. – H.L. Mencken, The American Language, SupplementII: An Inquiry into the Developme

Do not be surprised when those who ignore the rules of grammar also ignore the law. After all, the law is just so much grammar. – Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com