"Here are the rules we obeyed in the Coyote–Road Runner series:

"RULE 1.  THE ROAD RUNNER CANNOT HARM THE COYOTE EXCEPT BY GOING "BEEP BEEP!"

"RULE 2.  NO OUTSIDE FORCE CAN HARM THE COYOTE–ONLY HIS OWN INEPTITUDE OR THE FAILURE OF THE ACME PRODUCTS.

"RULE 3.  THE COYOTE COULD STOP ANYTIME–IF HE WERE NOT A FANATIC.  (REPEAT: "A FANATIC IS ONE WHO REDOUBLES HIS EFFORT WHEN HE HAS FORGOTTEN HIS AIM."–GEORGE SANTAYANA)

"RULE 4.  NO DIALOGUE EVER, EXCEPT "BEEP-BEEP!"

"RULE 5.  THE ROAD RUNNER MUST STAY ON THE ROAD–OTHERWISE, LOGICALLY, HE WOULD NOT BE CALLED ROAD RUNNER.

"RULE 6.  ALL ACTION MUST BE CONFINED TO THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE TWO CHARACTERS–THE SOUTHWEST AMERICAN DESERT.

"RULE 7.  ALL MATERIALS, TOOLS, WEAPONS, OR MECHANICAL CONVENIENCES MUST BE OBTAINED FROM THE ACME CORPORATION.

"RULE 8.  WHENEVER POSSIBLE, MAKE GRAVITY THE COYOTE'S GREATEST ENEMY.

"RULE 9.  THE COYOTE IS ALWAYS MORE HUMILIATED THAN HARMED BY HIS FAILURES."

–Chuck Jones, writing in Chuck Amuck