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Quotations about Quotations

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Using Quotations in a Speech or Text about Quotations

As well as keeping your audience engaged, adding quotations to a speech or a text can significantly enhance its impact and effectiveness. Quotations are useful for explaining complex ideas concisely, much in the same way that analogies are used. Additionally, quotations from experts or celebrities can add credibility to your message.

Here are some funny and poignant quotations about quotations. If your speech is serious, do not automatically avoid funny quotations as they can often be the most impactful, forcing your audience into the thinking about the hidden analogous message in your selected quotation.

"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." (British actor Peter Ustinov)
"When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth." (Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw)

If you are looking to make a fuller speech about quotations, then below this selection of quotations are three funny themes and three serious themes on the topic of quotations that might help trigger some ideas for your speech or text.

"Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." Oscar Wilde (Irish dramatist and poet, 1854-1900)

"I always have a quotation for everything – it saves original thinking." Dorothy L. Sayers (English writer, 1893-1957)

"I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation." George Bernard Shaw (Irish dramatist, 1856-1950)

She had a pretty gift for quotation, which is a serviceable substitute for *wit.*money.*good looks.* W. Somerset Maugham (English novelist, 1874-1965)

"I quote others only the better to express myself." Michel de Montaigne (French philosopher, 1533-1592)

"Quotation: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another." Ambrose Bierce (American writer, 1842-1914)

A facility for quotation covers the absence of *original thought.*sustenance.*humour.* Dorothy L. Sayers (English writer, 1893-1957)

"I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself." Marlene Dietrich (German-born American actress and singer, 1901-92)

I hate quotations. Tell me *what you know.*a proper story.*a joke.* Ralph Waldo Emerson (American philosopher and poet, 1803-82)

"By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote." Ralph Waldo Emerson (American philosopher and poet, 1803-82)

"The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated by quotations." Benjamin Disraeli (British Conservative statesman, 1804-81)

"He wrapped himself in quotations as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors." Rudyard Kipling (English writer and poet, 1865-1936)

It's better to be quotable than *honest.*not.*boring.* Tom Stoppard (British dramatist, 1937-)

"It isn't difficult, you know, to be witty or amusing when one has something to say that is destructive, but damned hard to be clever and quotable when you are singing someone's praises." Noel Coward (English dramatist, actor, and composer, 1899-1973)

"I know heaps of quotations, so I can always make quite a fair show of knowledge." O. Douglas (Scottish writer, 1877-1948)

"Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it." Ralph Waldo Emerson (American philosopher and poet, 1803-82)

"No Greek; as much Latin as you like: never French in any circumstance: no English poet unless he has completed his century." Charles James Fox (English Whig politician, 1749-1806) giving advice for the House of Commons on using quotations

"You can get a *happy*sad*useless* quotation anywhere if you have the eye." Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (American lawyer, 1841-1935)

"His works contain nothing worth quoting; and a book that furnishes no quotations is, me judice, no book – it's a plaything." Thomas Love Peacock (English novelist and poet, 1785-1866)

"A widely-read man never quotes accurately, for the rather obvious reason that he has read too widely." Hesketh Pearson (English actor and biographer, 1887-1964)

"An anthology is like all the plums and orange peel picked out of a cake." Walter Raleigh (English lecturer and critic, 1861-1922)

"What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before." Mark Twain (American writer, 1835-1910)

Thinking Template for a Speech or Text on Quotations

Below are 3 funny themes and 3 serious themes related to quotations. These have been included to help you identify areas to explore.

Funny Themes:

Quotable Quotes: The Funniest Lines and One-Liners
- Share amusing or witty quotations, discussing humorous lines, one-liners, or quotes that bring laughter and light-heartedness.
Misattributed Madness: The Funniest Misquoted and Misattributed Quotes
- Explore humorous instances of misquoted or misattributed quotes, from famous missteps in historical references to funny pop culture misunderstandings.
Philosophical Follies: The Funniest Attempts at Profound Wisdom
- Discuss comical attempts at deep or profound wisdom in quotations, highlighting humorous misinterpretations or overly serious attempts at insight.

Serious Themes:

The Power of Words: Impact, Inspiration, and Influence
- Explore the profound impact of quotations on individuals and society, discussing how words can inspire, motivate, and shape perspectives.
Quoting History: Context, Accuracy, and Historical Significance
- Discuss the importance of accurate quoting in historical narratives, exploring how quotations shape our understanding of events, figures, and cultural movements.
Quotations and Identity: Reflection, Expression, and Cultural Heritage
- Address how quotations reflect personal and cultural identity, discussing their role in expressing values, beliefs, and cultural heritage.

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