Sure. The real point I'm getting at is that overly strong statements lead to arguments, where people take your statement at face value. Hyperbole is rarely useful in a serious discussion. It just means people have to work to determine your real stance because it may not match exactly what you said.

You could have said "I've never seen a case where exception handling resulted in more clear and easier to read code, and I doubt I'll ever encounter such a situation" and I think that would convey your opinion clearer (assuming I understand it correctly).

> No rules are universal.

We're talking about CS and programming here, where there are plenty of cases where things have been formally proven. Some rules are universal. No reason to use absolutist statements where they don't apple.