Step 4. Using Direct Quotes

In most college writing assignments, you should use your own words as much as possible. Use direct quotations only if you have a good reason. Some reasons to use direct quotes include:

To show that an authority supports your point.

• e.g. Even famous authors agree that writing is hard. As Margaret Atwood says, "If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word."

To present a position or an argument to critique or comment on.

• e.g. In an article titled, "A Stanford dean on adult skills every 18-year-old should have," Julie Lythcott-Haims says, "An 18-year-old must be able to talk to strangers." This is striking when considering that we often tell children not to talk to strangers. At what age should children begin talking to strangers? Or do we as parents need to be more careful about how we define "strangers"?

To include especially moving or historically significant language.

• e.g. What does it take to accomplish greatness? Can anyone achieve greatness? Martin Luther King, Jr. provides one clue. He said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." This quote paints him in a more humble light. Maybe he didn't start off great. He just did one thing--he took that first step, and that started him on the path to making the impact on civil rights in the U.S. that he did.

To present a particularly well-stated passage whose meaning would be lost or changed if paraphrased or summarized.

• e.g. Yitzhak Zuckerman, a Polish Jew who was active in resisting the Nazis during World War II, is regarded as a hero by many, but struggled with the horrible experiences he witnessed and participated in. He said, "If you could lick my heart, it would poison you."

Material Adapted from the University of Wisconsin Writing Center and Bruce Ballenger's The Curious Writer