# Must I include \begin{math} every time I want to enter a symbol?

I am using the following syntax in my document's preamble :

\usepackage{amssymb}


Question is, must I use \begin{math} \*symbol* \end{math] every time I type in a symbol ? Or am I missing an easier way to insert symbols ?

I tried looking online before posting but haven't found an answer.

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Are you concerned with math-related symbols? If so, using either $<symbol macro>$ or $$<symbol macro>$$ will work. There also plenty text-mode symbols; for those, it's not necessary to enter math mode. – Mico Apr 22 '13 at 2:24
Thank you, didnt know about either of these. – Razor Apr 22 '13 at 2:26
@Mico Suggested by OP to be an answer. I am rather young here, so I am afraid that I can act against the rules, when I incorporate your comment into my answer, as suggested by NLed. – Przemysław Scherwentke Apr 22 '13 at 2:33
@PrzemysławScherwentke - Not to worry: Just augment your answer, per the OP's suggestion, to mention the $$...$$ method. – Mico Apr 22 '13 at 2:34
@PrzemysławScherwentke you could also mention that $...$ is robust, but $$...$$ is fragile. – Gonzalo Medina Apr 22 '13 at 2:39

No. You can use $...$; for example, $\heartsuit$. Another simple method -- also mentioned in @Mico's comment -- is to use $$...$$: $$\heartsuit$$.
I've taken the liberty of editing your answer to streamline the reference to the $$...$$ method. :-) – Mico Apr 22 '13 at 17:08