diff --git a/src/js/events/components.js b/src/js/events/components.js
index 79e3a8a..582af8d 100644
--- a/src/js/events/components.js
+++ b/src/js/events/components.js
@@ -12,7 +12,19 @@ class HighlightedCode extends ElemJS {
 				this.element.appendChild(child)
 			}
 		}
-		lazyLoad("./static/hljs.js").then(hljs => hljs.highlightBlock(this.element))
+		if (this.element.textContent.length > 80) {
+			/*
+			  no need to highlight very short code blocks:
+			  - content inside might not be code, some users still use code blocks
+			    for plaintext quotes
+			  - language detection will almost certainly be incorrect
+			  - even if it's code and the language is detected, the user will
+			    be able to mentally format small amounts of code themselves
+
+			  feel free to change the threshold number
+			*/
+			lazyLoad("./static/hljs.js").then(hljs => hljs.highlightBlock(this.element))
+		}
 	}
 }