100+ MLA Quote Citation Examples: Perfect Copywriting & Formatting Guide

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Dickens 5).

“Call me Ishmael” (Melville 1).

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” (Tolstoy 1).

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1).

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places” (Hemingway 105).

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me” (Brontë 23).

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald 180).

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit” (Tolkien 1).

“It did not seem to us that we were doing anything particularly wrong” (Salinger 67).

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive” (Zafón 199).

“He had never gone through the formality of reading a book all the way through” (Orwell 45).

“She was beautiful, but not like those girls who wear their beauty like a banner” (Morrison 78).

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by” (Frost 18-19).

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate” (Shakespeare 1-2).

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

“Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day” (Thomas 1-2).

“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” (Eliot 51).

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

“I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills” (Wordsworth 1-2).

“Tyger Tyger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night” (Blake 1-2).

“Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you / As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend” (Donne 1-2).

“My love is like a red, red rose / That’s newly sprung in June” (Burns 1-2).

“April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land” (Eliot 1-2).

“I arise from dreams of thee / In the first sweet sleep of night” (Poe 1-2).

HAMLET: “To be, or not to be, that is the question” (Shakespeare 3.1.56).

LADY MACBETH: “Unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty” (Shakespeare 1.5.40-42).

BLANCHE: “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” (Williams 145).

GULLIVER: “I have been assured that the most dreadful earthquake ever known in records split the island” (Swift 89).

VIOLA: “Make me a willow cabin at your gate, / And call upon my soul within the house” (Shakespeare 1.5.101-102).

OEDIPUS: “I am the land’s avenger by all rights” (Sophocles 120).

BECKETT: “I can’t go on, I’ll go on” (Beckett 98).

ESTRAGON: “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful” (Beckett 23).

HAMLET: “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (Shakespeare 2.2.580-581).

MACBETH: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage” (Shakespeare 5.5.24-25).

NORA: “I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald” (Ibsen 76).

KING LEAR: “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!” (Shakespeare 3.2.1).

Effective learning environments encourage active engagement and reflective thinking (Brown 45).

Social media usage correlates with increased anxiety among adolescents (Lee 112).

Climate change impacts biodiversity through habitat loss and temperature shifts (Nguyen 67).

Urban design influences pedestrian behavior and community interaction (Kim 89).

Students retain information better when taught through multimodal approaches (Taylor 33).

Cultural identity shapes individual responses to global marketing strategies (Chen 102).

Early childhood education significantly affects long-term cognitive development (Adams 56).

Digital privacy concerns are rising due to data mining practices (Wright 74).

Artificial intelligence is transforming customer service expectations (Patel 130).

Remote work improves job satisfaction but challenges team cohesion (Roberts 91).

Language acquisition is enhanced through immersive environments (Garcia 44).

Ethical leadership fosters trust and organizational resilience (Moore 68).

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep” (Picasso, qtd. in Smith 23).

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts” (Churchill, qtd. in Jones 15).

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it” (Kay, qtd. in Lee 34).

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel” (Angelou, qtd. in Harris 8).

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works” (Jobs, qtd. in Isaacson 210).

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” (Russell, qtd. in Bell 45).

“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another” (Maxwell, qtd. in Reed 12).

“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions” (Gates, qtd. in Thompson 56).

“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another” (Obama, qtd. in Diaz 77).

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk” (Branson, qtd. in Foster 33).

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” (Jobs, qtd. in Isaacson 189).

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other” (Carlyle, qtd. in Evans 29).

“Here's looking at you, kid” (Casablanca, dir. Curtiz).

“May the Force be with you” (Star Wars, dir. Lucas).

“I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse” (The Godfather, dir. Coppola).

“There's no place like home” (The Wizard of Oz, dir. Fleming).

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” (The Godfather Part II, dir. Coppola).

“I'll be back” (The Terminator, dir. Cameron).

“Houston, we have a problem” (Apollo 13, dir. Howard).

“You can't handle the truth!” (A Few Good Men, dir. Reiner).

“Why so serious?” (The Dark Knight, dir. Nolan).

“Every man dies, not every man really lives” (Braveheart, dir. Gibson).

“Life is like a box of chocolates” (Forrest Gump, dir. Zemeckis).

“Winter is coming” (Game of Thrones, created by Benioff and Weiss).

“Digital detoxes are becoming essential for mental well-being in the smartphone era” (Smith, “Unplugged,” n.p.).

“Remote work has permanently reshaped corporate culture” (Lee, “Future of Work,” para. 4).

“AI-generated content raises new questions about authorship and authenticity” (Nguyen, “Content in the Age of AI,” para. 7).

“Sustainable fashion is no longer a niche—it’s a necessity” (Chang, “Green Threads,” n.p.).

“Gen Z values experiences over possessions more than any previous generation” (Taylor, “Consumer Shifts,” para. 2).

“Mental health apps are bridging gaps in access to care” (Roberts, “Mind Matters,” n.p.).

“Cryptocurrency adoption is growing, but regulation lags behind” (Patel, “Digital Dollars,” para. 5).

“Influencer marketing now drives over 30% of e-commerce sales” (Kim, “Brand Power,” para. 3).

“Urban farming is redefining food security in megacities” (Adams, “Grow Local,” n.p.).

“Data privacy laws are evolving rapidly across Europe and North America” (Wright, “Privacy Watch,” para. 6).

“Gamification increases user engagement by up to 70%” (Garcia, “Play to Win,” para. 1).

“The metaverse presents both opportunities and ethical dilemmas” (Moore, “Virtual Frontiers,” n.p.).

“Progress is messy. But silence is worse” (@activistvoice, Twitter, 12 Mar. 2023).

“Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s survival” (@mindfulmom, Instagram, 5 Apr. 2023).

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” (@inspireedu, Facebook, 18 Feb. 2023).

“Dream big. Start small. Act now” (@entrepreneurjourney, LinkedIn, 21 Jan. 2023).

“Climate action isn’t optional—it’s urgent” (@greenfuture, Twitter, 22 May 2023).

“Your voice matters. Speak even if your voice shakes” (@changemaker, Instagram, 8 July 2023).

“Innovation begins where comfort ends” (@techvisionary, LinkedIn, 10 Mar. 2023).

“Kindness costs nothing but means everything” (@dailykindness, Facebook, 30 Nov. 2022).

“Failure is just tuition for success” (@growthmindset, Twitter, 14 Aug. 2023).

“Diversity isn’t a trend—it’s strength” (@inclusiveleader, LinkedIn, 17 Sept. 2023).

“Write every day. Even if it’s bad. Especially if it’s bad” (@aspiringauthor, Instagram, 25 Oct. 2023).

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” (@dreamchaser, Facebook, 1 Jan. 2023).

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

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin” (King, “I Have a Dream”).

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

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

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

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game” (Ruth, Speech at Yankee Stadium).

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”).

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies” (Lincoln, First Inaugural Address).

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” (King, Address at Selma).

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln, Gettysburg Address).

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things” (Kennedy, Rice University Speech).

“If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies” (Arafat, Nobel Peace Prize Lecture).

“Cogito, ergo sum” [I think, therefore I am] (Descartes 35; trans. Cottingham).

“La vida es sueño” [Life is a dream] (Calderón 12; trans. Edwards).

“Einmal ist keinmal” [Once is never] (Kundera 56; trans. Harshav).

“El amor es la verdadera revolución” [Love is the true revolution] (Castro, Speech, trans. Smith).

“Ich bin ein Berliner” [I am a Berliner] (Kennedy, Speech, trans. Müller).

“Il faut cultiver notre jardin” [We must cultivate our garden] (Voltaire 98; trans. Pearson).

“La historia la escriben los vencedores” [History is written by the victors] (Napoleon, qtd. in Dubois 44; trans. White).

“Die Kunst ist lange, das Leben kurz” [Art is long, life is short] (Goethe 77; trans. Boyle).

“No hay camino, se hace camino al andar” [There is no path, paths are made by walking] (Machado 23; trans. Clark).

“Le silence éternel de ces espaces infinis m’effraie” [The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me] (Pascal 101; trans. Levi).

“Non scherzare con il fuoco” [Don’t play with fire] (Italian proverb, trans. Brown).

“Wer nichts weiß, muss alles glauben” [Who knows nothing must believe everything] (German saying, trans. Fischer).