100+ MLA Quote-within-a-Quote Examples: Perfect Copywriting Templates for Researchers

“As Shakespeare wrote, ‘All the world’s a stage,’ and indeed, in Austen’s words, ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged’ that we are all players.”

“Hemingway once said, ‘The world breaks everyone,’ and as Fitzgerald added through Gatsby, ‘So we beat on, boats against the current.’”

“Orwell warned that ‘Who controls the past controls the future,’ echoing Dickens, who observed, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’”

“As Eliot mused, ‘We shall not cease from exploration,’ just as Joyce proclaimed, ‘I go to encounter… the reality of experience.’”

“Woolf believed that ‘A woman must have money and a room of her own,’ reinforcing Brontë’s cry: ‘I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.’”

“Melville wrote, ‘Call me Ishmael,’ while Thoreau insisted, ‘I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.’”

“Dickinson whispered, ‘Hope is the thing with feathers,’ much like Whitman sang, ‘I contain multitudes.’”

“As Twain quipped, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction,’ while Hawthorne lamented, ‘No man can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude.’”

“Plath confessed, ‘Dying is an art,’ paralleling Sylvia’s earlier line: ‘I eat men like air.’”

“Faulkner claimed, ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past,’ recalling Yeats: ‘Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.’”

“Chopin wrote, ‘The bird that would soar above the level plain,’ just as Hurston declared, ‘I am the egg beating the walls of my own henhouse.’”

“As Morrison stated, ‘If there's a book you want to read but it hasn't been written yet, write it,’ fulfilling Woolf’s vision: ‘Lock up your libraries if you like.’”

“Kant argued, ‘Act only according to that maxim whereby you can… will that it should become a universal law,’ aligning with Aristotle’s view: ‘We are what we repeatedly do.’”

“Nietzsche proclaimed, ‘He who has a why to live can bear almost any how,’ expanding on Socrates’ claim: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’”

“Descartes said, ‘I think, therefore I am,’ which echoes Augustine’s earlier insight: ‘If I am mistaken, I exist.’”

“Spinoza believed, ‘God or Nature,’ resonating with Heraclitus’ ancient wisdom: ‘No man ever steps in the same river twice.’”

“Wittgenstein noted, ‘The limits of my language mean the limits of my world,’ mirroring Saussure’s theory: ‘Language is a system of signs.’”

“Camus stated, ‘In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer,’ reflecting Epictetus: ‘It's not what happens to you, but how you react.’”

“Marx critiqued, ‘Religion is the opium of the people,’ building on Feuerbach’s idea: ‘Man makes religion, religion does not make man.’”

“Simone de Beauvoir wrote, ‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,’ extending Kant’s ethics: ‘Treat humanity always as an end.’”

“Hegel claimed, ‘The real is rational, and the rational is real,’ refining Plato’s ideal: ‘Justice in the soul mirrors justice in the state.’”

“Heidegger said, ‘Language is the house of Being,’ deepening Husserl’s call: ‘Back to the things themselves.’”

“Freud suggested, ‘The ego is not master in its own house,’ challenging Descartes’ certainty: ‘I think, therefore I am.’”

“Adorno warned, ‘There is no right life in the wrong one,’ responding to Marx: ‘Philosophers have only interpreted the world.’”

“Churchill declared, ‘We shall fight on the beaches,’ honoring Lincoln’s resolve: ‘Government of the people, by the people, for the people.’”

“Roosevelt said, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,’ channeling Jefferson: ‘I tremble for my country when I reflect.’”

“Gandhi affirmed, ‘An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind,’ quoting Jesus: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you.’”

“Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed, ‘I have a dream,’ invoking Jefferson: ‘All men are created equal.’”

“Nelson Mandela said, ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done,’ remembering Frederick Douglass: ‘Power concedes nothing without demand.’”

“John F. Kennedy urged, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you,’ echoing Pericles: ‘Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.’”

“Malcolm X stated, ‘By any means necessary,’ referencing Patrick Henry: ‘Give me liberty, or give me death!’”

“Abigail Adams wrote, ‘Remember the ladies,’ citing Paine: ‘These are the times that try men’s souls.’”

“Winston Churchill admitted, ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal,’ paraphrasing Napoleon: ‘Victory belongs to the most persevering.’”

“Cesar Chavez said, ‘We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress for our community,’ drawing from Gandhi: ‘Be the change you wish to see.’”

“Susan B. Anthony declared, ‘Failure is impossible,’ inspired by Elizabeth Cady Stanton: ‘The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries.’”

“Harriet Tubman proclaimed, ‘I freed a thousand slaves,’ recalling Lincoln: ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’”

“V in *V for Vendetta* intoned, ‘People should not be afraid of their governments,’ quoting Jefferson: ‘The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time.’”

“Captain America said, ‘I can do this all day,’ echoing Churchill: ‘Never give in, never give in, never, never, never.’”

“Tony Stark joked, ‘Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,’ parodying Wilde: ‘I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I’m saying.’”

“Morpheus told Neo, ‘There is no spoon,’ reflecting Zhuangzi: ‘Am I a man dreaming I’m a butterfly?’”

“Scar in *The Lion King* sneered, ‘Be prepared,’ twisting Nietzsche: ‘What does not kill me makes me stronger.’”

“Forrest Gump said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates,’ rephrasing Emerson: ‘Life is a journey, not a destination.’”

“Darth Vader declared, ‘I am your father,’ evoking Sophocles: ‘Oedipus, you do not see the evil in which you live.’”

“Agent Smith claimed, ‘I hate this place,’ channeling T.S. Eliot: ‘This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.’”

“The Joker laughed, ‘Why so serious?’, embodying Camus: ‘There is but one truly serious philosophical problem—suicide.’”

“WALL-E played *Hello, Dolly!* singing, ‘Put your hand in mine,’ reviving Whitman: ‘I celebrate myself, and sing myself.’”

“Ellen Ripley said, ‘Get away from her, you bitch!’ channeling Medea: ‘I am more man than all the men combined.’”

“Rocky Balboa panted, ‘I can’t go on,’ answering Hemingway: ‘Courage is grace under pressure.’”

“Barack Obama quoted Martin Luther King Jr.: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,’ fulfilling Lincoln’s promise: ‘Let us strive to finish the work we are in.’”

“Winston Churchill said, ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,’ honoring Nelson: ‘England expects every man to do his duty.’”

“Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed Jefferson: ‘The torch has been passed to a new generation,’ adapting Kennedy’s later line: ‘Ask not what your country can do for you.’”

“Nelson Mandela stated, ‘It is better to lead from behind,’ quoting Lao Tzu: ‘The best leader is the one who is seen last.’”

“Angela Merkel said, ‘Wir schaffen das,’ recalling Willy Brandt: ‘Mehr Demokratie wagen.’”

“John Lewis urged, ‘Get in good trouble,’ citing Thoreau: ‘Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.’”

“Margaret Thatcher declared, ‘You turn if you want to,’ echoing Churchill: ‘Democracy is the worst form of government except for all others.’”

“Biden quoted Scripture: ‘To whom much is given, much shall be required,’ repeating JFK: ‘Do not ask what your country can do for you.’”

“Michelle Obama said, ‘When they go low, we go high,’ channeling Maya Angelou: ‘Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.’”

“Pope Francis urged, ‘Who am I to judge?’, quoting Jesus: ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.’”

“Greta Thunberg thundered, ‘How dare you?’, invoking Rachel Carson: ‘The human race is challenged more than ever before.’”

“Aung San Suu Kyi said, ‘Freedom from fear,’ quoting Roosevelt: ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’”

“As Smith argues, ‘Language shapes thought,’ echoing Whorf’s earlier claim: ‘We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages’ (Smith 45).”

“Johnson notes, ‘Postmodernism rejects grand narratives,’ supporting Lyotard’s definition: ‘Skepticism toward metanarratives’ (Johnson 78).”

“Brown writes, ‘The gaze constructs identity,’ applying Foucault’s theory: ‘Discipline is a political anatomy of the body’ (Brown 102).”

“Davis observes, ‘Race is a social construct,’ citing Omi and Winant: ‘Racial formation is a sociohistorical process’ (Davis 63).”

“Taylor claims, ‘Modernity alienates the self,’ drawing from Marx: ‘Alienation results from capitalist labor’ (Taylor 89).”

“Lee states, ‘Trauma resists representation,’ referencing Caruth: ‘Trauma is an overwhelming experience’ (Lee 110).”

“Wilson explains, ‘Femininity is performative,’ expanding Butler’s idea: ‘Gender is a kind of persistent impersonation’ (Wilson 54).”

“Clark notes, ‘The archive is never neutral,’ quoting Derrida: ‘There is no archive without destruction’ (Clark 33).”

“Moore argues, ‘The sublime overwhelms reason,’ citing Kant: ‘The mind feels agitation in the face of vastness’ (Moore 71).”

“Young writes, ‘Space is political,’ applying Lefebvre: ‘Social space is a social product’ (Young 95).”

“Hall states, ‘Representation is never innocent,’ echoing Said: ‘Orientalism is a Western style for dominating the East’ (Hall 67).”

“Nguyen observes, ‘Memory is contested terrain,’ citing Assmann: ‘There is a difference between communicative and cultural memory’ (Nguyen 120).”

“Beyoncé said, ‘I woke up like this,’ jokingly quoting Shakespeare: ‘I am not what I am’ (interview, 2016).”

“Leonardo DiCaprio stated, ‘Climate change is the fight of our generation,’ echoing Al Gore: ‘We face a planetary emergency’ (Rolling Stone, 2014).”

“Lady Gaga shared, ‘Born this way,’ channeling Audre Lorde: ‘Your silence will not protect you’ (Vogue, 2020).”

“Oprah Winfrey declared, ‘Turn your wounds into wisdom,’ quoting Maya Angelou: ‘You may not control all the events, but you can decide your response’ (O, 2013).”

“Rihanna said, ‘Work, work, work,’ parodying Marx: ‘Labor is the source of all wealth’ (GQ, 2018).”

“Dwayne Johnson joked, ‘Know your role,’ echoing Sun Tzu: ‘Know yourself and know your enemy’ (Men’s Health, 2021).”

“Billie Eilish said, ‘I speak from the heart,’ quoting Joni Mitchell: ‘Art is making something out of nothing’ (Rolling Stone, 2019).”

“Tom Hanks smiled, ‘Hello, neighbor,’ nodding to Fred Rogers: ‘I like you just the way you are’ (CNN, 2020).”

“Serena Williams stated, ‘I’ve had to learn to fight,’ citing Malcolm X: ‘Nobody can give you freedom’ (Elle, 2017).”

“Kendrick Lamar said, ‘We gon’ be alright,’ echoing Langston Hughes: ‘Hold fast to dreams’ (Interview, 2015).”

“Adele confessed, ‘I drink wine like water,’ quoting Dylan Thomas: ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ (Vulture, 2021).”

“Joaquin Phoenix said, ‘I am a vessel,’ channeling Rumi: ‘You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean’ (Time, 2020).”

“Just remembered what my grandma said: ‘Live simply,’ and isn’t that what Thoreau meant by ‘Simplify, simplify’? #MindfulLiving”

“My therapist told me, ‘Healing is not linear,’ which made me think of Rumi: ‘The wound is the place where the light enters you.’”

“My boss said, ‘Fail forward,’ and honestly, that’s just Nietzsche repackaged: ‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.’ #Motivation”

“My dog looked at me like, ‘You’re stressed again,’ and I thought of Seneca: ‘We suffer more in imagination than in reality.’”

“My friend texted, ‘You’re enough,’ and suddenly I heard Whitman: ‘I contain multitudes.’ Feeling seen today.”

“Just saw a graffiti that said, ‘Stay weird,’ and I whispered back, ‘Normal is an illusion,’ thanks to Alice in Wonderland.”

“My mom said, ‘Don’t rush,’ and I realized she was channeling Mary Oliver: ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’”

“My crush said, ‘You’re different,’ and I immediately thought of Oscar Wilde: ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’”

“My journal entry today: ‘I feel lost,’ but then I reread Neruda: ‘You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.’”

“My coworker said, ‘Just breathe,’ and I smiled, thinking of Lao Tzu: ‘Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.’”

“My sister yelled, ‘Stop overthinking!’ and I replied, ‘To be or not to be, that is the question,’ just to annoy her.”

“My yoga teacher said, ‘Be present,’ and I silently thanked Eckhart Tolle: ‘The present moment is the only time you ever have.’”

“Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ quoting Leviticus: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mark 12:31).”

“Paul wrote, ‘Faith, hope, and love,’ echoing Jeremiah: ‘I know the plans I have for you’ (1 Corinthians 13:13).”

“Jesus declared, ‘I am the light of the world,’ fulfilling Isaiah: ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light’ (John 8:12).”

“Peter said, ‘You are the Messiah,’ recalling Psalm 118: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’ (Matthew 16:16).”

“Paul quoted Deuteronomy: ‘The righteous will live by faith,’ expanding Habakkuk’s original: ‘The righteous shall live by his faith’ (Romans 1:17).”

“Jesus said, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ quoting Psalm 22:1 (Matthew 27:46).”

“James wrote, ‘Religion that God accepts is pure,’ citing Isaiah: ‘Loose the chains of injustice’ (James 1:27).”

“John the Baptist cried, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,’ quoting Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness’ (Mark 1:3).”

“Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me,’ fulfilling Exodus: ‘This is the day the Lord has made’ (Luke 22:19).”

“Stephen, while being stoned, said, ‘Lord, receive my spirit,’ quoting Jesus: ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ (Acts 7:59).”

“Paul stated, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed,’ referring to Psalm 19: ‘The law of the Lord is perfect’ (2 Timothy 3:16).”

“Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all who are weary,’ quoting Isaiah: ‘I will refresh the weary’ (Matthew 11:28).”

“The narrator of *The Great Gatsby* mused, ‘So we beat on, boats against the current,’ echoing T.S. Eliot: ‘I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.’”

“Holden Caulfield said, ‘Don’t ever tell anybody anything,’ contradicting Frost: ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’”

“Offred in *The Handmaid’s Tale* whispered, ‘Nolite te bastardes carborundorum,’ imagining Churchill: ‘Never surrender.’”

“Meursault reflected, ‘Nothing mattered,’ yet Camus wrote elsewhere: ‘One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’”

“Scout Finch recalled Atticus: ‘You never really understand a person,’ aligning with Harper Lee: ‘People generally see what they look for.’”

“Nick Carraway observed, ‘They were careless people,’ contrasting Fitzgerald’s earlier hope: ‘So we beat on, boats against the current.’”

“Winston Smith wrote, ‘Freedom is the freedom to say two plus two make four,’ quoting Orwell: ‘If liberty means anything, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.’”

“Katniss Everdeen thought, ‘I am the Mockingjay,’ echoing Dickinson: ‘Hope is the thing with feathers.’”

“Lisbeth Salander hacked, ‘I am a weapon,’ channeling Woolf: ‘Give me a room of my own and five hundred pounds a year.’”

“Patrick Bateman monologued, ‘I have to return some videotapes,’ parodying Eliot: ‘This is the way the world ends.’”

“Yossarian screamed, ‘I see everything twice,’ echoing Kafka: ‘A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.’”

“Humbert Humbert wrote, ‘I am not sure I believe in God,’ yet Nabokov said: ‘Salvation in literature.’”