Quotable words
Quotations add beauty to the written piece
Many of us are fond of using quotations or even collecting them. Sometimes while thinking about a subject we come across a quotation which sums up what we want to express in the most apt manner. Not only do our feelings seem to be echoed in the lines but even the expression is most fitting. Quotations are literally extracts, citations from a book, a speech or any written piece that can be used to offer as evidence or to support something that we wish to emphasise. It is especially helpful as it lends credence to what we want to say because of the authority vested in the quote. This essentially means that the quote should have some credibility in the sense that it should be written by a well known person whose sensibilities everybody trusts. Come to think of it, most of the quotes that we know are by well known personalities.
As students we like to use quotations sometimes, especially while writing an essay or a short story. It not only gives us a sense of direction and purpose but also lends beauty to the piece we are trying to compose. Of course, care must be taken not to fill up the piece with quotations; ideally use one in the beginning and maybe one at the end, after all we want to read what you think of something and not what a whole lot of people think.
We can use quotations while answering questions in humanities. English has a liberal usage of quotations but subjects like economics, history and political science also stand to benefit from quotable quotes. Ideally one should use a quotation to set the stand one is going to take while tackling a particular problem. You can begin by quoting your favourite writer on the subject and go along to elaborate on the same lines.
If it’s an answer to a particular question it should be interspersed with points from the text book, or if it’s an essay you could go on to elaborate your point of view on the topic. Quotations are very helpful while preparing for a debate. A relevant quote could help you get to the point without much ado as it is most identifiable and will remove any doubts regarding the position you wish to take.
Many a time we get topics which are quotations and we can either choose to agree or disagree with the writer provided we have enough material to defend or support ourselves or the theories we wish to go along with. A good way to use quotes is to make them merge with what you have to say. There is a possibility that the quotation may seem discordant if it’s out of context or seems superimposed. Start by introducing the quotation and why you think it to be appropriate in the context. Talk about the quotation, its use is not self illuminating. Quotations should be used as examples and should not be left without explanations. While handling generic subjects like emotions or some quality in people, it is interesting to emphasise your view point by using a quotation. For example, take some quotes on happiness. Aristotle said, “Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient” and Benjamin Disraeli was of the opinion that, “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action”. Examine both the statements. To my mind there is little difference in what both are trying to convey, I feel the essence is the same. But, you can use these quotes in varied ways. The first one emphasises self sufficiency and the other one action which may or may not result in self sufficiency. Both can be used in the context of happiness.
Dale Carnegie said, “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all,” Winston Churchill said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty,” both fall under the category of hope. |