"Diminutive as a mote of dust, a mere peck of the pen, a crumb on the keyboard, the full stop — the period — is the unsung legislator of our writing systems. . . . It crowns the fulfillment of thought, gives the illusion of conclusiveness, possesses a certain haughtiness that stems, like Napoleon's, from its minuscule size.  Anxious to get going, we require nothing to signal our beginnings, but we need to know when to stop: this tiny memento mori reminds us that everything, ourselves included, must one day come to a halt." —Alberto Manquel, "Point of Order"