diff --git a/doc_src/tutorial.rst b/doc_src/tutorial.rst
index 43f3e932a..46decc0a3 100644
--- a/doc_src/tutorial.rst
+++ b/doc_src/tutorial.rst
@@ -750,6 +750,7 @@ Now in another shell::
     > echo $EDITOR
     vim
 
+You only need to set universal variables once interactively. There is no need to add them to your :ref:`config files <initialization>`. For more details, see :ref:`Universal Variables <universal-variables>`.
 
 Ready for more?
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