Appendix C
Quotations for Speeches

Presenters find it’s helpful to borrow the words of others to begin or close their remarks, to make a point, or to add a little humor or poignancy. Good presenters keep a stash of pithy or pointed quotations to put some spice into their mix of words. This appendix provides you with a diverse collection of quotations, sayings, and nuggets.

When using a quotation, you may want to introduce it with one of the following phrases:

• A wise person once said . . .

• (Name of person quoted) once said . . .

• I read that . . .

• I’ve heard that . . .

• Someone once said . . .

Some quotations contain somewhat archaic or stilted language. And older quotations often contain the words he, him, man, and so forth, making them potentially offensive to those who are sensitive to gender bias in language. The Task Force on Bias-Free Language suggests that direct quotes should not be altered in scholarly writing. But the members of the task force also understand that this is a problem for those writers who use quotations that contain biased language.