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I am trying to begin a paper with a quote but the person is really only known to people within a certain background so I want to include more information than: person + where quote was spoken.

Just taking a random guess I put together this:

"yada yada yada"

-- Some Guy

- significance detail.

Quote from: textbook-written-by-Some-Guy.

Is this the correct format? This is really the only quote I'll have and I'd rather not tax the reader at the start of a paper by referring them immediately to the works cited page to find out the significance of said person.

I feel the need to explain who said person is because I am applying to graduate school, and the person should be recognizable to those in my field, but I do not know if the graduate admissions person reviewing it will realize this significance and instead start my statement of intent with a sense of confusion.

tchrist
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skyfire
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2 Answers2

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I've seen a lot of introductions like this, but I've never seen it formatted the way you describe.

I feel it's less about style and more about syntax. in an introductory quote, if the speaker is not well known outside of a small circle, then it shouldn't matter if we know anything else about him other than his one-sentence bio. That bio is usually given after a comma or "of" or "from"

Show me the money!

        -Tom Cruise from "Jerry McGuire"

Note, I didn't use quotation marks for the quote. That's a style issue.

"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands"

         - Famous nursery rhyme

In this case, the original speaker is not even necessary to specify because it doesn't really matter who the original speaker is, just the nature of the quote

"A fanciful tale of romance and desire."

- Kay Roberts, *Cosmopolitan* magazine

In this case, you're aiming for a particular demographic; Kay is not as important as the magazine she represents. From the look of it, this option seems your best.

If your introductory quote requires an explanation, then it shouldn't be used as an introductory quote.

I've seen introductory quotes referenced before, but I don't think a source explanation is necessary. People will either get it or they won't. How much does it matter if they don't get it?

Stu W
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Could you add an appendix and put that info at the back of the document? So it is there for who needs it, but not getting in the way at the start.

Jelila
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