In this homage to the art of the MLA block quote, we dive into the elegance and depth that such quotations provide in enriching narratives. With stylistic clarity, block quotes emphasize significant statements or ideas, offering readers a moment of reflection. Focusing on ten different aspects where block quotes enhance the narrative field, this compilation presents a mix of wisdom, humor, and introspection. From love to wisdom, each section draws from an array of renowned figures and fictional narratives, weaving a tapestry of impactful quotations. This guide, anchored by the precision of the MLA format, showcases the power of the written word to convey emotion, spark thought, and build connection.
Love Quotes
"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides." — David Viscott
"We accept the love we think we deserve." — Stephen Chbosky
"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." — Aristotle
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." — Eden Ahbez
"In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." — Paul McCartney
"Where there is love there is life." — Mahatma Gandhi
"Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation." — Osho
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." — Lao Tzu
"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." — Martin Luther King, Jr.
"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart." — Jane Austen
"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other." — Audrey Hepburn
"Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination." — Voltaire
Wisdom Quotes
"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." — Socrates
"Turn your wounds into wisdom." — Oprah Winfrey
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." — Jimi Hendrix
"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk." — Doug Larson
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." — William Shakespeare
"All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope." — Alexandre Dumas
"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it." — Albert Einstein
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." — John Muir
"Wisdom begins at the end." — Daniel Webster
"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen." — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
"There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart." — Charles Dickens
Friendship Quotes
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" — C.S. Lewis
"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." — Elbert Hubbard
"Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together." — Woodrow T. Wilson
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." — Walter Winchell
"True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable." — David Tyson
"Friendship is the wine of life." — Edward Young
"The language of friendship is not words but meanings." — Henry David Thoreau
"Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness." — Euripides
"A single rose can be my garden…a single friend, my world." — Leo Buscaglia
"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." — Henry Ford
"The only way to have a friend is to be one." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"A friend is a gift you give yourself." — Robert Louis Stevenson
Success Quotes
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." — Albert Schweitzer
"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." — Henry David Thoreau
"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." — John D. Rockefeller
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." — Thomas Jefferson
"Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." — Winston Churchill
"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." — Vidal Sassoon
"If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary." — Jim Rohn
"Success is not in what you have, but who you are." — Bo Bennett
"Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom." — George S. Patton
"Believe you can and you're halfway there." — Theodore Roosevelt
"The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces." — Will Rogers
"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse." — Florence Nightingale
Motivation Quotes
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." — Mark Twain
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." — Walt Disney
"Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going." — Sam Levenson
"The future depends on what you do today." — Mahatma Gandhi
"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." — Zig Ziglar
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." — C.S. Lewis
"Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you." — Walt Whitman
"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." — Steve Jobs
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." — William James
"Quality is not an act, it is a habit." — Aristotle
"Your limitation—it's only your imagination." — Unknown
"Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you." — Unknown
Life Quotes
"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." — Abraham Lincoln
"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." — John Lennon
"The purpose of our lives is to be happy." — Dalai Lama
"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." — Confucius
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." — Hans Christian Andersen
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." — Buddha
"Get busy living or get busy dying." — Stephen King
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." — Helen Keller
"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." — Oscar Wilde
"Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life." — Mark Twain
"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." — Mae West
Humor Quotes
"Humor is reason gone mad." — Groucho Marx
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." — Mark Twain
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." — Charlie Chaplin
"I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right." — Unknown
"I prefer not to think before speaking. I like being as surprised as everyone else by what comes out of my mouth." — Unknown
"Behind every great man, there is a woman rolling her eyes." — Jim Carrey
"I have a lot of growing up to do. I realized that the other day inside my fort." — Zach Galifianakis
"I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure." — Unknown
"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito." — Dalai Lama
"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." — Benjamin Franklin
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research." — Steven Wright
"Procrastinate now, don’t put it off." — Ellen DeGeneres
Famous Quotes
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." — Franklin D. Roosevelt
"I came, I saw, I conquered." — Julius Caesar
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." — Neil Armstrong
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." — Martin Luther King, Jr.
"To be, or not to be, that is the question." — William Shakespeare
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." — Edmund Burke
"I think, therefore I am." — René Descartes
"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." — Mahatma Gandhi
"The unexamined life is not worth living." — Socrates
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." — Lord Acton
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." — Mahatma Gandhi
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." — William Shakespeare
Nature Quotes
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." — Albert Einstein
"The earth has music for those who listen." — George Santayana
"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect." — Alice Walker
"To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment." — Jane Austen
"The poetry of the earth is never dead." — John Keats
"The mountains are calling and I must go." — John Muir
"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." — John Muir
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." — John Muir
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." — Lao Tzu
"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." — Henry David Thoreau
"Colors are the smiles of nature." — Leigh Hunt
Inspirational Quotes
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today." — Franklin D. Roosevelt
"The best way to predict your future is to create it." — Abraham Lincoln
"Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." — Nido Qubein
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." — George Eliot
"Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear." — George Addair
"Dream big and dare to fail." — Norman Vaughan
"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us." — Henry Stanley Haskins
"Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground." — Theodore Roosevelt
"Believe you can and you’re halfway there." — Theodore Roosevelt
"Change your thoughts and you change your world." — Norman Vincent Peale
"The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible." — Charles Kingsleigh
Final words
In essence, the intricate tapestry of MLA block quotes that we’ve woven showcases a powerful narrative tool that lends authority and depth to any composition. By highlighting key phrases and thoughts across a spectrum of themes—from love and friendship to motivation and humor—these quotes stand as pillars of wisdom and insight. Incorporating such block quotes not only enriches the aesthetic of the text but also invites readers to pause and engage with the nuances of the content. Whether preparing an academic paper or crafting compelling copy, the art of quoting effectively distinguishes the pro from the novice, proving yet again that great wisdom often resides in the words of others. As you contemplate how to elevate your writing with meaningful block quotes, remember, as renowned author Anthony J. D'Angelo wisely put it, "Don't reinvent the wheel, just realign it."
