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

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…”

“He found himself wondering whether he had ever really loved her at all, or if it had all been a performance shaped by expectation and social ritual.”

“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. It was a summer like any other, yet everything felt slightly off-kilter.”

“She stood at the edge of the cliff, not because she wanted to die, but because she needed to feel something real beneath her feet.”

“Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today’s events and emotions, making the past appear exactly like the present.”

“Time isn’t measured in hours or minutes but in moments that take your breath away and leave you changed forever.”

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live, to make sense of chaos, to find meaning in the meaningless.”

“The house was silent except for the ticking clock, which seemed to mock the stillness with its relentless rhythm.”

“He had spent years building walls around his heart, only to realize too late that they kept everyone out—including himself.”

“Every journey begins with a single step, but few consider the weight of what they leave behind.”

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you, one that claws at your ribs every night.”

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.”

“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. That is the first principle of existentialism, and it places the entire burden of existence squarely on individual choice.”

“To be human is to confront the absurd—the constant struggle between our search for meaning and the universe’s silence.”

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit forged through discipline and time.”

“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living, for without reflection, we are merely drifting through existence.”

“Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose—and commit myself—to what is most important.”

“We suffer not from the events themselves, but from our judgments about them—a core tenet of Stoic philosophy.”

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”

“Happiness depends upon ourselves, and it is within our power to cultivate virtue and live in accordance with reason.”

“The world is my representation: this truth applies to everything that lives and knows, though man alone can bring it into reflective consciousness.”

“Existence precedes essence, meaning humans first exist and then define themselves through action and decision.”

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. To think is to question, and questioning is the root of knowledge.”

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze."

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night."

"Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date."

"Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality."

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could."

"I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike."

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare."

"Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink."

"I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong."

"Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;"

"Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend..."

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

“Is this not the land our fathers died to save? Is this not the home our children deserve?”

“Let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.”

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

“Recent studies indicate a significant correlation between prolonged screen exposure and decreased attention span among adolescents aged 13–18.”

“The data suggests that socioeconomic status remains one of the strongest predictors of educational attainment in urban school districts.”

“Cognitive dissonance arises when individuals are confronted with information that contradicts their existing beliefs, leading to psychological discomfort.”

“Intersectionality provides a framework for understanding how overlapping identities such as race, gender, and class contribute to systemic oppression.”

“Narrative analysis reveals recurring motifs of isolation and longing in postmodern literature, reflecting broader cultural anxieties.”

“The Hawthorne effect demonstrates that participants alter their behavior simply because they are being observed.”

“Qualitative methodologies offer deeper insight into subjective experiences, though they lack the generalizability of quantitative approaches.”

“Language acquisition in early childhood is heavily influenced by environmental stimuli, including parental speech patterns and social interaction.”

“Neuroplasticity challenges the long-held belief that the brain is fixed after adolescence, showing adaptability well into adulthood.”

“Ethnographic research requires prolonged engagement with communities to ensure accurate cultural representation and avoid misinterpretation.”

“The replication crisis in psychology highlights the need for transparent methodologies and open data sharing.”

“Peer review serves as a critical gatekeeping mechanism in academic publishing, though it is not immune to bias and inconsistency.”

“You don’t understand,” she said, gripping the edge of the table. “I saw him last night, standing in the rain, just watching the house. He didn’t move for hours.”
“And you’re sure it was him?”
“I’d know that silhouette anywhere. Even after twenty years.”
He leaned forward. “Then we need to talk to the police. Now.”

“Where have you been?”
“Out.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
She slammed her cup down. “You think I don’t notice? The late nights, the secrets—it’s like living with a ghost.”

“Did you mean what you said earlier?”
“About leaving?”
“Yes.”
He hesitated. “I don’t know anymore. I thought I did, but now… I’m not sure I can breathe here.”

“You promised you’d never go back.”
“I had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Not when your brother’s life is on the line.”

“Why won’t you trust me?”
“Because trust isn’t given, it’s earned. And you haven’t earned it yet.”
He turned away. “Maybe I never will.”

“Are we doing the right thing?”
“I don’t know anymore. But I do know we can’t go back.”
“Even if it destroys us?”
“Especially if it destroys us.”

“I saw the letter.”
Her face went pale. “When?”
“Last night. I wasn’t supposed to, but I couldn’t help it.”
“And?”
“Now I understand why you’ve been so distant.”

“You knew all along, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing?”
“Some truths are better left buried.”

“This isn’t just about money.”
“Isn’t it?”
“It’s about dignity. About not being treated like a criminal in my own home.”

“I didn’t think you’d come.”
“Neither did I.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because despite everything, I still love you.”

“They’re coming for us.”
“Who?”
“The ones who remember. The ones who survived.”

“You can’t keep running.”
“Watch me.”
“Eventually, the past catches up.”
“Then let it catch me.”

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.”

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.”

“I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.”

“Mama, I ain't never stop loving you. But I'll be damned if I ever let another black woman stand over me with a club.”

“Here's looking at you, kid.”

“I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.”

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

“They're here! They're all here! And they're staying!”

“I am big. It's the pictures that got small.”

“There's no place like home.”

“I'm going to speak the truth regardless of whom it offends.”

“In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved.”

“Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that can later be released to fuel cellular activities.”

“Quantum entanglement occurs when pairs or groups of particles interact in ways such that the state of each particle cannot be described independently of the state of the others.”

“The theory of relativity explains gravity not as a force, but as a curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.”

“DNA replication is semi-conservative, meaning each strand of the original double helix serves as a template for a new complementary strand.”

“Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels.”

“CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows scientists to precisely modify DNA sequences within organisms.”

“Artificial intelligence involves machines simulating human intelligence processes such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.”

“The Big Bang theory posits that the universe began approximately 13.8 billion years ago from an extremely hot, dense state.”

“Antibiotics work by targeting specific bacterial structures or functions without harming human cells, making them effective treatments for infections.”

“Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell because they generate most of the cell’s supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).”

“Machine learning algorithms improve automatically through experience and by using data to identify patterns.”

“Newton’s laws of motion describe the relationship between a body and the forces acting upon it, and its motion in response to those forces.”

“I remember the exact moment I realized I was invisible—not physically, but socially. It was in third grade, during show-and-tell, when I raised my hand and no one turned to look.”

“Grief doesn’t arrive in stages; it crashes over you like waves, pulling you under when you least expect it.”

“Growing up, I learned to speak two languages: English at school, and silence at home.”

“The first time I held my daughter, I cried—not from joy, but from the overwhelming fear that I might fail her.”

“I didn’t run away from home; I ran toward something I couldn’t name, hoping it would feel like belonging.”

“My grandmother used to say, ‘Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional,’ though I didn’t understand it until after she was gone.”

“Success didn’t feel like triumph; it felt like relief, like finally catching my breath after years underwater.”

“I wrote letters to my younger self, telling her everything would be okay, even though I wasn’t sure I believed it.”

“Home wasn’t a place, but a person—someone who made me feel safe enough to stop pretending.”

“I spent years trying to outrun loneliness, only to realize it had been teaching me how to be alone with myself.”

“Recovery isn’t linear. Some days you take three steps forward, others you crawl back to bed and wonder if healing is even possible.”

“Forgiveness didn’t mean forgetting; it meant releasing the weight of anger so I could finally move on.”