Quotations are phrases or short passages borrowed from texts or speeches of other authors. Oftentimes, these are famous remarks of various celebrities either from the present or from humanity’s distant past. Most famous quotes are highly valuable since they represent concentrated pieces of wisdom, knowledge, life experience, wit, all of which can be magnified by circumstances in which these have been made or by the life and contribution of people they belong to. This explains why they represent powerful tools in essay writing.
Hence, knowing how to start an essay with a quote is an important skill that allows students to make the best of their written assignments or speeches.
Starting an essay with a quote comes with a number of advantages and disadvantages as presented below.
Example 2 – an essay on self-sufficiency, both humor and depth are employed
Simple Tips for Starting Essay with Quotes
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“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peaceTo conclude, a quotation is a powerful instrument that greatly enhances your essay if used appropriately, and now you know how to start a paper with a quote. If you want to integrate quotes in your paper, just let our academic assistants know and they would consider this along other listed instructions.
People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice. “Those (…) who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”When it comes to writing, there’s a quote I like the most: “Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” (King 5)According to MLA guidelines, at the end of the essay, there has to be the Works Cited page. It contains the full reference featuring author’s full name, the full title of the source, the volume, the issue number, the date of publishing, and the URL (if the source was found online). Here’s an example of the full referencing in the Works Cited:
Starting an essay with a quote is a matter of controversy. Experts in the pro camp suggest that a quote at the beginning of an essay helps make a powerful statement right from the start. Moreover, an interesting, captivating quote grabs the reader’s attention right from the start.
Perfect
King, Larry L. “The Collection of Best Works.” Oxford University Press, vol. 2, no. 3, Jan.-Feb. 2017, http://www.prowritersdigest.com/editor-blogs/inspirational-quotes/72-of-the-best-quotes-about-writing.People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice. They simply “know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”There’s also the way to write an essay with quotes in the smoothest way possible.
Given the MLA in-text citation already contains King’s last name, you shouldn’t mention it in the parenthesis. If the author’s name isn’t mentioned in-text, it has to be specified in a parenthetical citation.
Well, if you can use first person in your essay, I recommend in this step to talk about what the quote means to you. Questions you can discuss include:
- Which interpretation of the quote is most convincing, in your mind?
- Has the quote influenced you to think more deeply about something?
- Has the quote changed your mind about something or prompted you to act differently in the future?
Woah! That’s a lot to take in. Essays about quotes are hard. Hopefully, these strategies have given you something to think about when discussing you quote. Keep in mind these five key points when trying to think of things to write about:
- Select the quote Wisely. Make sure you know a fair bit about the quote you’re using, and if it’s from a book, take a quote from a book you’ve actually read!
- Cite the quote, the quote’s author and its origins in the Introduction. This will show your marker from the very beginning that you understand the quote.
- Place the Quote in Context. Consider the overall theme of the text the quote comes from, the personality of the person who said the quote, and use the 4 W’s to dig deeper into what the quote is all about!
- Explore the Quote’s Contested Meanings. If the quote can be interpreted in many ways, then make sure you present all those possible interpretations in your essay.
- Explore the Quote’s Relevance to You and / or Today’s Society. By discussing the quote’s relevance to you or society, you’ll be showing your maker you understand why on earth it’s worthwhile reflecting on the quote in the first place!
For example, let’s say the quote is Winston Churchill’s famous statement:
So, to recap, make sure the quote is from a source you have at least a little knowledge about
Summing Up
By explaining the story of the person who made the quote, we can understand the quote more deeply.
Once you’ve jotted down some draft of these background / ‘contextual’ details, you can turn them into full paragraphs in your essay.
Essays about quotes really do vary. Here’s some examples of different types of essays about quotes:
- The teacher provides the quote as a prompt for the analysis of a concept
If you are writing an expository essay that does not involve first person language, I recommend instead discussing the broader relevance of the quote to broader society today.
Example: A Quote that is Too Long
Children who grow up in poverty often end up being poor as adults. “Many adult Americans believe that hard work and drive are important factors on economic mobility. When statistics show that roughly 42% of children born into the bottom level of the income distribution will likely stay there (Isaacs, 2007), this Is a consequence of structural and social barriers.” (Mistry et al., 2016, p. 761). Therefore poverty in childhood needs to be addressed by the government.Avoid Quotes that Start Sentences
The theorist Louis Malaguzzi was the founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education. “Children have the ability to learn through play and exploration. Play helps children to learn about their surroundings” (Malaguzzi, 1949, p. 10). Play is better than learning through repetition of drills or reading. Play is good for all children.I don’t know where this started, but please don’t do it. It looks sloppy, and teachers notice. A nice, clean, well-formatted essay should not contain these minor but not insignificant errors. If you want to be a top student, you need to pay attention to the minor details.
Here’s two solutions:
- Cite the original source. If you really want the Rousseau quote, just cite Rousseau. Stop messing around with quotes on top of quotes.
- Lean the ‘as cited in’ method. Frankly, that method’s too complicated to discuss here. But if you google it, you’ll be able to teach yourself.
6. Don’t Italicize Quotes
Similarly, in the second example we can also insert an active voice by ensuring that our quote sentence does not start with a quote:
This is especially true when you’re already up in the higher marks range. These little editing points can mean the difference between placing first in the class and third. Don’t underestimate the importance of attention to detail.
You want to always follow-up quotes by top thinkers or specific authors with discussion and analysis.
Your quest for finding the perfect quotation must not be too difficult since there are lots of resources available. We’re talking about good books and even online sources (though make sure it is a reliable website with lots of information about the quote and its author). Formulate your queries so you won’t end up getting random quotations. You can search the websites by topic or name.
Sometimes, students are given the liberty to choose a quote which they think would best fit their interests. If this is your case, then good for you! Though with so many quotations written by our awesome authors or personalities, which should you go for?
Any essay about a quote requires students to show a vivid understanding of the quotation they’re discussing, including some of its details in the introduction paragraph. Here, you should say something interesting about the quote, explain where it comes from, and detail your interpretation in one or two sentences. Though, remember that this is not the place to go into depth about the topic. You’ll just have to grab the reader’s interest and notify them of background information.
You must make it clear when you are quoting from someone else. You have to define its sources too. There are three reasons behind this: (1) pure honesty
Consider Your Audience
A rule of thumb indicates you should prioritize content over authority. This means selecting a quote based on the quality, message, idea, and thought contained within. One that could relate to your life experiences or goals will actually aid you further in framing the essay.
Ensure that you’re highly familiar with your audience to choose a quotation that will go with them. It must tune with them perfectly. Consider their age, gender, experience, interests, etc. For instance, a quote from Warren Harding might not be suitable for millennials. Opt for someone more relevant instead, such as Barack Obama.
What is the quote’s relevance to you or society? Make sure to explain it well. Paraphrase your viewpoints about the quote’s author and so on. The analysis is the basic and important thing in your essay. Hence, you need to accomplish it. You can discuss questions like, “Has the quotation prompted you to act otherwise in the future or has changed your mind on something?”
