Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it.

Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947)

I have suffered a great deal from writers who have quoted this or that sentence of mine either out of its context or in juxtaposition¹ to some incongruous matter which quite distorted my meaning , or destroyed it altogether.

Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947)

The point of quotations² is that one can use another's words to be insulting.

Amanda Cross (1926 - )

Quotation³, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914), The Devil's Dictionary

One must be a wise reader to quote wisely and well.

Amos Bronson Alcott (1799 - 1888)

When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple⁴. Take it and copy it.

Anatole France (1844 - 1924)

Be careful -- with quotations, you can damn anything.

Andre Malraux (1901 - 1976)

Write a wise saying and your name will live forever.

Anonymous⁵

It is unbecoming for young men to utter maxims⁶.

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

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

Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)

A quotation in a speech, article or book is like a rifle in the hands of an infantryman. It speaks with authority.

Brendan Francis

To be amused by what you read--that is the great spring of happy quotations.

C. E. Montague, "A Writer's Notes on His Trade"

I never have found the perfect quote. At best I have been able to find a string of quotations which merely circle the ineffable⁷ idea I seek to express.

Caldwell O'Keefe

I improve on misquotation.

Cary Grant (1904 - 1986)

The American people would not want to know of any misquotes that Dan Quayle may or may not make.

Dan Quayle (1947 - )

People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first.

David H. Comins

What's the use of a good quotation if you can't change it?

Doctor Who

A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought.

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893 - 1957), Lord Peter Wimsey in "Gaudy⁸ Night"

I might repeat to myself slowly and soothingly⁹, a list of quotations beautiful from minds profound - if I can remember any of the damn things.

Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967)

Some for renown¹⁰, on scraps¹¹ of learning dote,

And think they grow immortal¹² as they quote.

Edward Young (1683 - 1765), Love of Fame (satire I, l. 89)

An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly.

Edwin P. Whipple

If you have any doubts that we live in a society controlled by men, try reading down the index of contributors to a volume of quotations, looking for women's names.

Elaine Gill

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

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

After all, all he did was string together a lot of old, well-known quotations.

H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956), on Shakespeare

Misquotation is, in fact, the pride and privilege of the learned. A widely- read man never quotes accurately¹³, for the rather obvious reason that he has read too widely.

Hesketh Pearson, Common Misquotations (1934), Introduction

Misquotations are the only quotations that are never misquoted.

Hesketh Pearson

Life itself is a quotation.

Jorge Luis Borges (1899 - 1986)

A fine quotation is a diamond on the finger of a man of wit, and a pebble¹⁴ in the hand of a fool.

Joseph Roux

What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), Notebooks (1935)

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 (1901 - 1992)