Five Rules for Picking a Good Quote (from MLA Handbook):
Quotes Are Good When:
You are writing about subjects that are beyond your own experience. A quote from an expert can lend authority to your argument. Select quotes from eyewitnesses, authorities on the subject, or individuals with a unique angle on the topic.
- · You find compelling evidence from a reliable source that strengthens your claim.
- · You need to bring your subject to life. Nothing is as powerful as the human voice.
- · You want to help your reader make a personal connection to the material (from big picture to daily life).
- · You are looking for a strong way to begin or end your piece.
The Five Rules
1. When the words of an important authority lend weight to an argument.
As Abraham Lincoln observed, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
2. When language is especially vivid or expressive.
Martin Luther King called the Emancipation Proclamation, “a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.”
3. When it is important to let the individuals involved with an issue explain their positions in their own words.
While Hamilton claimed, “the vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty,” Jefferson believed, “those entrusted with power have, in time . . . perverted it into tyranny.”
Although General Zaroff claimed it was “a game,” Rainsford called it “murder.”
4. When exact wording is needed for technical accuracy.
Public Act No 11-232 defines bullying as “any overt acts by a student or a group of students directed against another student with the intent to ridicule, harass, humiliate or intimidate the other student.”
5. When the language of a source is the topic of your discussion (i.e., you are analyzing the words someone has used).
Although the Founding Fathers wrote, “All men are created equal,” they did not practice what they preached. They did not believe in equality for “all.” For example, neither women nor African-Americans were given equal standing with white men.
Courtesy of P. Barnett 2014