Q: Can direct formatting be used for alignment purposes? For example, we use an asterism as a decorative break. Should we simply hit the button in the Home Row for centre alignment? Or should we make a new style, based on Normal, that has centred text? For a second example, a book had a number of block quotes, and some of these quotes were centred while others were more left aligned. Should we make a new style for the centred quotes? To add to this a bit, can direct formatting be used in any capacity at all? (Of course, not for bold, italic, or underline). Thanks!

A: The cardinal rule: we almost never use direct formatting. We don't need to center the asterisks.