Questions related to (semi-)famous quotations.
27
votes
2answers
2k views
When should end punctuation go inside quotes?
I have been/am being taught that end punctuation should always go inside quotes. For example, you are supposed to write:
Marvin thought it was "awful."
The problem is I do not see how does this ...
21
votes
6answers
47k views
What does the phrase “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish” mean?
It was Steve Jobs's ending comment in the Stanford Commencement in 2005, and Jobs mentioned:
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
What does this phrase mean? I understand this may also seem ...
21
votes
4answers
1k views
How should I punctuate around quotes?
The American convention in quotations is (typically) to place punctuation inside quoted text. But I always run into situations where the punctuation of the quote interferes with the punctuation of the ...
15
votes
9answers
2k views
“Do you want to live forever?”
There's a famous story about a Marine sergeant at the Battle of Belleau Wood shouting "Come on, you apes. Do you want to live forever?" It's been attributed to several people; a character in ...
15
votes
5answers
13k views
What is the best way to punctuate a list of questions in a declarative sentence?
In my report a need to write a list of example questions that someone might ask, but I would like to do it in a sentence rather than a separate list. Here is an example:
This poses questions such ...
11
votes
3answers
828 views
How much punctuation is appropriate when ending a sentence with a full-sentence quotation?
When you end a sentence with a quotation that is itself a full sentence, do you use the quotation's punctuation? The containing sentence's? Both? Something else?
I think this might be best ...
10
votes
6answers
867 views
Some Chicken, Some Neck, what did Churchill mean?
I've been thinking about the following quote from Churchill
"The contribution of Canada to the Imperial war effort in troops, in ships, in aircraft, in food, and in finance has been ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
How are “yes” and “no” formatted in sentences?
If I am expecting an answer from a question and wish to state my prediction, do I need to use quotes around a simple "yes" or "no"?
I think the answer is no. / I think the answer is "no."
...
8
votes
3answers
3k views
How to deal with quoting a grammatical error?
What should you do if you’re quoting someone, and that quote has a grammatical error?
Say for example that I’m quoting this line from the American Pregnancy Association:
The term used for a ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
Is “It is you who are mistaken!” correct? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What rules make “Remember me, who am your friend” grammatical?
This is a line spoken by the Emperor to Luke in Star Wars. I always wondered if this is grammatically ...
7
votes
3answers
6k views
If I quote only the middle part of a sentence, do I use ellipses?
For example, if Peter is my source, should I say:
Peter mentioned his '... unquenchable thirst, a fatigued body...' as being part of the reason for his actions.
Or would I have to leave out the ...
7
votes
2answers
318 views
What is the best way to track down the origin and grammar of this quote?
The best way to know a man is to walk a thousand miles in his shoes. That way, he's a thousand miles away and has no shoes.
I'm willing to bet it's a Jack Handey quote, as it's rather in that ...
7
votes
1answer
900 views
Never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense
I'm trying to translate this famous quote from Churchill
Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small,
large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and ...
6
votes
4answers
10k views
Is it “end quote” or “unquote”?
When reading something that has a quote in the middle of it, is it proper to say "end quote" or "unquote" to signal the end of the quote? I've heard both ways.
6
votes
4answers
2k views
What does this quote/excerpt mean?
I read the following lines somewhere on the Web:
“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will suffer defeat.”
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you ...
6
votes
4answers
16k views
What does “The Quality of Mercy is not Strained” mean?
I think I know what Shakespeare meant for Portia to be saying when he wrote this dialog between Shylock and Portia, and I found a decent discussion on the web here.
What I want to know is, what do ...
6
votes
3answers
458 views
Straight quotes vs. curly quotes in formal writing [closed]
Should I use “ or " in very formal English writing?
6
votes
1answer
171 views
What does “God sends meat and devil sends cooks” mean?
What does the quote God sends meat and devil sends cooks by Thomas Deloney mean?
And if it doesn't have a specific meaning, in which situation can I use it?
6
votes
1answer
775 views
Using Multiple Sics in One Quote
If a quote is rife with errors, can a single [sic] be used at the end of the quote rather than after each error?
She wrote, "Your [sic] making me weigh [sic] to [sic] sleepy."
She wrote, "Your ...
6
votes
1answer
3k views
Where does this translation of Saint-Exupery's quote on design come from? [closed]
A very well-known aphorism from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is
Il semble que la perfection soit atteinte non quand il n'y a plus rien à ajouter, mais quand il n'y a plus rien à retrancher.
(Terre ...
6
votes
1answer
224 views
Jackson = $$son: pun or topical reference
Alfred Bester's short story The Demolished Man (the original version serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1952, not the novel published in 1963) may have been the first instance of SMS-speak, featuring ...
5
votes
3answers
474 views
Meaning of “The most I ever did for you, was to outlive you, / But that is much”
What did the poet mean by the following lines?
The most I ever did for you, was to outlive you,
But that is much.
— Edna St. Vincent Millay
I am not able to understand the meaning ...
5
votes
2answers
7k views
What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?
I sometimes see square brackets used while quoting. My assumption is that they are replacing a pronoun with what the object of the pronoun, but I never know for sure because I don't usually get to ...
5
votes
1answer
228 views
Is it acceptable to use 'that' followed by a direct quote?
New York Times:
Even before President Obama declared this month that “I have Israel’s
back” in its escalating confrontation with Iran, pro-Israel figures
like the evangelical Christian leader ...
4
votes
2answers
427 views
“If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball.”
What does the following Jack Lemmon quote mean:
If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball.
I guess picking up the wrong golf ball must be an idiom but I ...
4
votes
3answers
184 views
The meaning of “People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.”
I am having a hard time understanding the following Logan Pearsall Smith quote:
People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.
Googling didn't help much other than whose quote it is. ...
4
votes
4answers
2k views
What's the meaning of 'sorry lot' in Albert Einstein's quote?
I just came across this quote by Albert Einstein when I was leafing through the book 'Super Cooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other To Succeed':
If people are good only ...
4
votes
1answer
190 views
He who accuses the whole world convicts only himself
Or something like that. Does anybody know the exact text and source of this quotation?
4
votes
1answer
2k views
Use quotation marks or italics for written quotes?
In narrative writing, should I use quotation marks or italics when I quote something someone wrote?
I would go with italics to differentiate written from spoken quotes:
“I know who the killer ...
4
votes
2answers
26k views
Origin of “do not argue with idiots” [closed]
What is the origin of the phrase “do not argue with idiots”? Please cite some credible references.
From googling around, I found these three variations. One came from the Bible but I couldn’t find ...
4
votes
1answer
417 views
Punctuation within quotes
When I was at school I was told that a quote should end with a comma. For example:
"The car is on the road," said Tom.
"No it isn't," replied Dick.
"He's right — it's over there!" said Harry.
...
4
votes
1answer
975 views
How are embedded quotations used?
How would embedded quotations be used when quoting from passages/sources within an essay? What would be the difference between normal quotations and embedded quotations?
3
votes
4answers
698 views
Meaning of “owedst”
...Not poppy, nor mandragora,
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
Which thou owedst yesterday.
— Shakespeare, Othello III.iii
I ...
3
votes
5answers
7k views
How to add contextualizing text to a quotation?
How do you add text which provides context to a quote?
For example, consider if I were to quote someone as having said:
This is unacceptable!
Were that the whole quote, can I add any text to ...
3
votes
3answers
510 views
Can someone help me understand this quote about love?
Ah! a blessing beyond all fate;
My sole mate 'tis my soul mate.
I didn't get this quote. Let me know its meaning please.
3
votes
4answers
496 views
“When I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead”
In "How I met your mother" TV series, there is a character Barney Stinson, who is the author of this semi-popular quote:
When I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. [sic!]
Obviously, ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
What do “a sort of moral attention” and “riotous excursions” mean in this quote from the Great Gatsby?
“When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses ...
3
votes
2answers
144 views
How should blockquoted quotations be formatted?
If I quote someone in a context where a blockquote is appropriate and there isn't lead-in prose which identifies the source, how should it be typeset? I'm quoting a saying or remark, as would be done ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
How to quote someone's work
I had someone send me a piece recently that include a few quotes from an interview. The structure was (between the lines, items in parenthesis my addition):
Here are a few quotes that support my ...
3
votes
6answers
3k views
Would you say “quote/end quote”?
A girl said, quote, I want a lollipop, end quote, as she walked past the candy store.
Would you say it like that out loud?
3
votes
1answer
982 views
When quoting a quotation, how do you handle the double quotes?
Assume there is original source text:
This restaurant is amazing with "delicious lasagna" and great service.
Make sure you go 6-7pm for the quietest times.
I want to quote "delicious lasagna" ...
2
votes
4answers
367 views
Are commas properly used in “He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.”?
George Bernard Shaw said, "He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches." Are commas properly used in these sentences? In my mind, the comma in each sentence improperly separates the noun ("he") from the ...
2
votes
2answers
190 views
looking for a certain quote/saying about winning, luck and practicing
I'm not sure if this the correct forum, but I can't seem to be able to google it so you guys are my only hope.
I know there is a saying that means something like "you have to be lucky to win, but ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
“Punctuality is the politeness of kings.”
Can someone please explain the meaning of:
Punctuality is the politeness of
kings.
2
votes
3answers
231 views
Quoting poor English in a news article? I don't often see “[sic]”
I don't stumble upon "[sic]" as I read newspapers. I think it's safe to assume that plenty of those who are quoted in articles have botched their grammar more often than not. Here's what I'm asking:
...
2
votes
1answer
380 views
Quote meaning: A wife is essential to great longevity
Can anyone please explain to me the meaning of this quote?
A wife is essential to great
longevity; she is the receptacle of
half a man's cares, and two-thirds of
his ill-humor. -Charles ...
2
votes
4answers
1k views
A saying for something that's good but also has a downside
I'm trying to transition from a list of pros to a list of cons, and would like to have some sort of transition quote. Something in the form of,
"But, alas, (((something something quote quote)))"
...
2
votes
1answer
288 views
Changing verb tense in a quote after ellipsis
I am using a block quote in my manuscript. The sentence starts off something like this:
Our approach provides a general procedure to deal with this problem by
using...
The block quote is a bit ...
2
votes
1answer
131 views
Quote about miscellany (?)
I'm trying to remember a certain quote representing the concept of miscellany (or randomness perhaps). I can't give much information except that it is of the form "Of ... and ... and ... etc.", ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Use quotation marks for internal monologue?
In a similar vein to my previous question on styling written quotes, should I use quotation marks for interior monologue in narrative writing?
It is common to use italics to denote thoughts:
This ...
