Scrupulous syntax and speech

p. 15

“William Safire’s weekly column on scrupulous syntax and speech ended with a story that may speak for many of us: ‘I ran into an old friend whom I had not seen in too long. He clapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘I miss not seeing you!’ ‘No, I replied, he missed seeing me; not seeing me was what he had been doing.’ ‘I meant exactly what I said,’ said my friend coolly, ‘but until this moment I never realized why.’”