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100+ MLA Quote Citation Examples: Perfect Your Research Paper

how do i cite a quote in mla

In academic writing, properly citing quotes using the Modern Language Association (MLA) format is essential for maintaining credibility and avoiding plagiarism. This comprehensive guide explores how to cite various types of quotations—from books and journal articles to social media posts and interviews—ensuring that every source is accurately acknowledged. Each section provides real-world examples and clear formatting rules tailored to specific source types. Whether you're quoting a novel, a website, or a personal interview, these guidelines help you integrate citations seamlessly into your work while adhering to MLA 9th edition standards. Understanding these nuances strengthens both your scholarship and reader trust.

Citing Quotes from Books

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” (Alfredson 45)

“We accept the love we think we deserve.” (Green 87)

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” (Rowling 230)

“All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.” (Gladstone 12)

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” (Wilde 67)

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” (Churchill 102)

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” (Whitney 33)

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” (Churchill 19)

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” (Roosevelt 55)

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” (Confucius 78)

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” (Allen 112)

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” (Plato 40)

Citing Quotes from Journal Articles

“Digital literacy is now a prerequisite for full civic participation.” (Martinez and Lee 114)

“Climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities.” (Nguyen 203)

“Students exposed to collaborative learning demonstrate higher retention rates.” (Kim et al. 67)

“Algorithmic bias reinforces existing social inequalities.” (Patel 89)

“Early childhood interventions yield lifelong cognitive benefits.” (Thompson 301)

“Social media use correlates with increased anxiety in adolescents.” (Chen 45)

“Renewable energy adoption has accelerated in urban centers.” (Owens 177)

“Multilingualism enhances executive brain function.” (Diaz 102)

“Remote work increases productivity but reduces team cohesion.” (Foster 221)

“Gender representation in textbooks remains skewed toward male figures.” (Adams 76)

“Urban green spaces improve mental health outcomes.” (Bennett 133)

“AI ethics frameworks must prioritize transparency and accountability.” (Reed 290)

Citing Quotes from Websites

“Over 60% of global internet users access content via mobile devices.” (“Mobile Trends 2023”)

“Online misinformation spreads six times faster than factual news.” (Smith, “Viral Lies Online”)

“The average person checks their phone 96 times per day.” (Johnson, “Digital Habits Survey”)

“E-commerce sales grew by 18% in 2022 alone.” (“Retail Shift Report”)

“Gen Z prefers TikTok over traditional search engines for discovery.” (Lee, “Search Evolution”)

“Cybersecurity threats increased by 45% following remote work adoption.” (Davis, “Security Risks”)

“YouTube reaches more adults aged 18–34 than any cable network.” (“Platform Reach Stats”)

“Voice search accounts for 20% of mobile queries.” (Roberts, “Search Trends 2023”)

“Nearly half of online shoppers abandon carts due to high shipping costs.” (Taylor, “Cart Abandonment Study”)

“AI-generated content now makes up 15% of published blog material.” (Miller, “Content Automation”)

“Over 70% of job seekers use LinkedIn during their search.” (Clark, “Job Hunting Trends”)

“Short-form video drives 3x more engagement than static images.” (Wong, “Engagement Metrics”)

Citing Quotes from Films

“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” (The Godfather 00:12:34)

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” (Casablanca 00:55:21)

“You can’t handle the truth!” (A Few Good Men 01:23:10)

“There’s no place like home.” (The Wizard of Oz 01:15:40)

“I am your father.” (Star Wars: Episode V 01:32:15)

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” (The Godfather Part II 00:40:11)

“Why so serious?” (The Dark Knight 00:47:33)

“Every man dies, not every man really lives.” (Braveheart 01:50:22)

“I’ll be back.” (The Terminator 00:33:19)

“To infinity and beyond!” (Toy Story 00:20:10)

“You talking to me?” (Taxi Driver 00:41:55)

“Life is like a box of chocolates.” (Forrest Gump 00:18:30)

Citing Quotes from Interviews

“Creativity thrives under constraints,” stated Dr. Evans in a personal interview on June 5, 2023.

“Our mission is to democratize access to clean water,” said Maria Lopez during her keynote speech.

“The pandemic reshaped how we define workplace success,” noted Prof. Kim in a Zoom interview.

“Authenticity is the foundation of brand loyalty,” explained CEO Jordan Reed in a podcast interview.

“Students learn best when they feel seen,” shared teacher Ana Torres in a classroom observation debrief.

“AI should augment, not replace, human judgment,” argued Dr. Patel during the tech summit panel.

“Policy change begins with community storytelling,” emphasized activist Lena Greene.

“Music connects us across generations,” reflected composer James Wu in a radio interview.

“Resilience isn’t innate—it’s built through challenge,” observed therapist Dr. Nora Hill.

“Sustainability must be profitable to be scalable,” claimed entrepreneur Tina Zhao.

“Representation in media shapes self-worth,” noted film critic Amir Shah.

“Curiosity drives innovation more than funding,” admitted scientist Dr. Elena Moss.

Citing Quotes from Poetry

“Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul” (Dickinson, lines 1–2).

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (Frost, line 1).

“I, too, sing America” (Hughes, line 1).

“Do not go gentle into that good night” (Thomas, line 1).

“Because I could not stop for Death – / He kindly stopped for me –” (Dickinson, lines 1–2).

“Let us go then, you and I” (Eliot, line 1).

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself” (Whitman, line 1).

“My name was uttered by a star” (Nye, line 5).

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep” (Frost, line 13).

“I rise / I rise / I rise” (Angelou, lines 24–26).

“Water, is taught by thirst” (Dickinson, line 1).

“Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds” (Shakespeare, lines 2–3).

Citing Quotes from Plays

“To be, or not to be: that is the question” (Shakespeare, Ham. III.i.58).

“All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players” (Shakespeare, As You Like It II.vii.139–40).

“Is this a dagger which I see before me?” (Shakespeare, Mac. II.i.33).

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet” (Shakespeare, Rom. II.ii.1–2).

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (Shakespeare, Ham. III.ii.208).

“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is / To have a thankless child!” (Shakespeare, Lear I.iv.288–89).

“Frailty, thy name is woman” (Shakespeare, Ham. I.ii.146).

“If music be the food of love, play on” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night I.i.1).

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more” (Shakespeare, Henry V III.i.1).

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Shakespeare, Ham. I.iv.90).

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves” (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar I.ii.140–41).

“Double, double toil and trouble; / Fire burn and cauldron bubble” (Shakespeare, Mac. IV.i.10–11).

Citing Quotes from Social Media Posts

“Just launched our new sustainability initiative 🌱 #GreenFuture” (Smith, Twitter, 12 Mar. 2023).

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” (Mandela, Facebook, 18 July 2020).

“Behind every great product is a team that refused to give up” (Zuckerberg, Instagram, 5 Apr. 2022).

“Your vibe attracts your tribe” (YogaWithLena, TikTok, 21 Jan. 2023).

“We’re not just building apps—we’re building futures” (TechVision, LinkedIn, 8 Nov. 2022).

“Monday motivation: progress > perfection” (CoachMike, Instagram, 3 July 2023).

“The pen is mightier than the sword, but the keyboard? That builds empires” (WriterJane, Twitter, 10 May 2023).

“Small steps lead to big changes. Start today.” (MindfulLiving, TikTok, 14 Feb. 2023).

“Leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about action.” (Dr. Evans, LinkedIn, 22 Sept. 2023).

“Art heals what words cannot express” (PainterMaya, Instagram, 30 Dec. 2022).

“Democracy dies in darkness” (WaPo, Twitter, 15 Jan. 2021).

“One small step for man…” (NASA, Facebook, 20 July 1969).

Citing Quotes from Speeches

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up” (King, “I Have a Dream” 2).

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” (Kennedy, Inaugural Address 1).

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade” (Kennedy, Rice University Speech 3).

“Never was so much owed by so many to so few” (Churchill, Battle of Britain Speech).

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” (Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address).

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor” (King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” 4).

“We shall fight on the beaches” (Churchill, “Their Finest Hour”).

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try” (Greta Thunberg, UN Climate Summit).

“This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” (Armstrong, Moon Landing Broadcast).

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for” (Obama, Election Night Speech).

“When they go low, we go high” (Michelle Obama, DNC 2016).

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” 1).

Citing Quotes from Emails or Personal Communications

In a private email dated April 3, 2023, Dr. Lee wrote, “Our research indicates a 30% improvement in outcomes.”

According to Professor Grant, “Student engagement peaks during project-based learning” (email message to author, 12 May 2023).

“We’re expanding operations to three new markets next quarter,” confirmed CEO Anna Reed (email to author, 7 June 2023).

“The dataset will be available by Friday,” noted researcher Ben Choi (email message, 21 Jan. 2023).

“Please review the attached draft before Monday,” instructed editor Maria Tan (email to author, 30 Nov. 2022).

“The grant proposal was approved last week,” announced Dr. Patel (personal communication, 5 Apr. 2023).

“Our team is committed to inclusive design practices,” emphasized designer Carlos Mendez (email message, 18 Feb. 2023).

“The conference keynote will focus on AI ethics,” shared organizer Lisa Wu (email to author, 10 Mar. 2023).

“Peer feedback significantly improves revision quality,” observed instructor Tara Kim (email message, 25 Sept. 2022).

“We’ve secured additional funding for the pilot program,” confirmed director Omar Ali (email to author, 14 July 2023).

“Please submit your abstract by the 20th,” reminded coordinator Nina Blake (email message, 5 Aug. 2023).

“The results exceeded our expectations,” reported scientist Elena Moss (personal communication, 3 May 2023).

Schlussworte

Properly citing quotes in MLA format is a cornerstone of academic integrity and effective scholarly communication. From printed books to dynamic social media content, each source type demands specific attention to detail in formatting, attribution, and context. By mastering the citation of diverse materials—whether poetry, interviews, or emails—you enhance the credibility of your writing and honor the intellectual contributions of others. These examples provide a practical roadmap for integrating quotations seamlessly into your work. As research evolves and new media emerge, staying current with MLA guidelines ensures your writing remains accurate, ethical, and impactful across disciplines and audiences.

Learn how to cite a quote in MLA format with 100+ clear, expert-vetted examples. Boost your paper’s credibility and SEO-friendly academic writing.

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