diff --git a/README b/README
index d7e696bd6..af06a7e86 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -484,6 +484,19 @@ standard markdown (email-style) boxquotes:
 	| They look like this.
 	`----
 
+Blank lines before headers and blockquotes
+------------------------------------------
+
+Standard markdown syntax does not require a blank line before a header
+or blockquote.  Pandoc does require this (except, of course, at the
+beginning of the document). The reason for the requirement is that
+it is all too easy for a `>` or `#` to end up at the beginning of a
+line by accident (perhaps through line wrapping).  Consider, for
+example:
+
+    I like several of their flavors of ice cream:  #22, for example, and
+    #5.
+
 Inline LaTeX
 ------------