We do not believe our own thought; we must serve somebody; we must quote somebody; we dote on the old and the distant; we are tickled by great names; we import the religion of other nations; we quote their opinions; we cite their laws.

"[A] quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious business."

(<i>The Record Lie</i>)

By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote.

The best quotes don't speak to one particular truth, but rather to universal truths that resonate — across time, culture, gender, generation, and situation — in our own hearts and minds. They guide, motivate, validate, challenge, and comfort us in our own lives. They reiterate what we've figured out and remind us how much there is yet to learn. Pithily and succinctly, they lift us momentarily out of the confused and conflicted human muddle. Most of all, they tell us we're not alone. Their existence is proof that others have questioned, grappled with, and come to know the same truths we question and grapple with, too.

Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we're quoting.

Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.

I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.

The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotations.

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.

the moral seemed to be that one should always have Latin, or at least a good classical poetry quotation, to depend upon in great or desperate moments.

I quote others only in order the better to express myself.

Ever day someone somewhere in the world is quoting me.

We rely upon the poets, the philosophers, and the playwrights to articulate what most of us can only feel, in joy or sorrow. They illuminate the thoughts for which we only grope; they give us the strength and balm we cannot find in ourselves. Whenever I feel my courage wavering, I rush to them. They give me the wisdom of acceptance, the will and resiliance to push on.

I think of quotes as mini–instruction manuals for the soul.