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I Find That It's Almost Essential To Fall In Love With An Idea To Invest The Time It Takes To Make It Good And Worth Sharing. And Then, The Hard Part: Deleting That Idea When It's Just Not What It Could Be. Too Often, Organizations Are Good At The First Part, But Struggle With The Second. And So We Defend Expired Business Models, Support The Status Quo And Have A Knee-jerk Inclination To Preserve What We've Got.
-Seth Godin
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I Find That It's

Seth Godin
I Find That It's Almost Essential To Fall In Love With An Idea To Invest The Time It Takes To Make It Good And Worth Sharing. And Then, The Hard Part: Deleting That Idea When It's Just Not What It Could Be. Too Often, Organizations Are Good At The First Part, But Struggle With The Second. And So We Defend Expired Business Models, Support The Status Quo And Have A Knee-jerk Inclination To Preserve What We've Got.
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Falling In Love
Struggle
Organization
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While You May Have Made Money Doing Something A Certain Way Yesterday, There's No Reason To Believe You'll Succeed At It Tomorrow.
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Don't Try To Be The 'next'. Instead, Try To Be The Other, The Changer, The New.
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If Your Organization Requires Success Before Commitment, It Will Never Have Either.
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Commitment
Organization
Most People Have Been Brainwashed Into Believing That Their Job Is To Copyedit The World, Not To Design It.
Jobs
Believe
People
Anxiety Is Experiencing Failure In Advance. Tell Yourself Enough Vivid Stories About The Worst Possible Outcome Of Your Work And You'll Soon Come To Believe Them. Worry Is Not Preparation, And Anxiety Doesn't Make You Better.
Believe
Worry
Anxiety
When We Think About What Might Go Wrong, We're More Likely To Design Something That Goes Right.
Thinking
Design
Might
There Are Always Limits, And Opportunities. The Ones We Rehearse And Focus On Are The Ones That Shape Our Future.
Opportunity
Focus
Shapes
If You're Not Willing To Get Your 'worst One Ever' Out Of The Way, How Will You Possibly Do Better Than That?
Way
Worst
Willing
Reputation Is What People Expect Us To Do Next. It's Their Expectation Of The Quality And Character Of The Next Thing We Produce Or Say Or Do. We Control Our Actions (even When It Feels Like We Don't) And Our Actions Over Time (especially When We Think No One Is Looking) Earn Our Reputation.
Character
Thinking
People
The Notion That I Do My Work Here, Now, Like This, Even When I Do Not Feel Like It, And Especially When I Do Not Feel Like It, Is Very Important. Because Lots And Lots Of People Are Creative When They Feel Like It, But You Are Only Going To Become A Professional If You Do It When You Don't Feel Like It. And That Emotional Waiver Is Why This Is Your Work And Not Your Hobby.
Motivational
Emotional
People
The Combination Of Fear And Ignorance (two Sides Of The Same Coin) Can Be Paralyzing.
Ignorance
Two Sides
Coins
Real Content Marketing Isn’t Repurposed Advertising, It Is Making Something Worth Talking About.
Real
Talking
Marketing
Developing Expertise Or Assets That Are Not Easily Copied Is Essential; Otherwise You’re Just A Middleman. “ “don’t Try To Be The ‘next’. Instead, Try To Be The Other, The Changer, The New. “ “everyone Is Not Your Customer. “ “fire The Committee. No Great Website In History Has Been Conceived Of By More Than Three People. Not One. This Is A Deal Breaker.
Fire
People
Trying
Being A Leader Gives You Charisma. If You Look And Study The Leaders Who Have Succeeded, That's Where Charisma Comes From, From The Leading.
Giving
Leader
Looks
A Brilliant Author Or Businesswoman Or Senator Or Software Engineer Is Brilliant Only In Tiny Bursts. The Rest Of The Time, They’re Doing Work That Most Any Trained Person Could Do.
Tiny
Brilliant
Software
Leadership Is The Art Of Giving People A Platform For Spreading Ideas That Work.
Leadership
Art
Ideas
Life Is Not About Gutting Out Every Situation. It's About Identifying Opportunity Or The Lack Thereof. If Your Pride Is All That Is Standing In The Way Of Quitting, Quit. The Right People Won't Care And The Wrong People Don't Matter. If You Know You're On The Right Path, Persevere Though The Pain. It Will Be Worth It.
Pain
Pride
Opportunity
Facts Are Irrelevant. What Matters Is What The Consumer Believes.
Believe
What Matters
Facts
'teamwork' Is The Word That Bosses Use When They Actually Mean 'do What I Say'
Leadership
Teamwork
Mean
The Resistance Is The Voice In Your Head Telling You To Use Bullets In Your Powerpoint Slides...it’s The Voice That Tells You To Leave Controversial Ideas Out Of The Paper You’re Writing, Because The Teacher Won’t Like Them. The Resistance Pushes Relentlessly For You To Fit In.
Teacher
Writing
Ideas
Social Networking That Matters Is Helping People Archive Their Goals. Doing It Reliably And Repeatability So That Over Time People Have An Interest In Helping You Achieve Your Goals.
People
Goal
Archives
No, The Only Way To Know What People Think Is To Watch What They Do, Not What They Say. Do They Come Back For More? Do You Cause Them To Change Their Behavior? Can You Make Them Smile?
Thinking
People
Watches
If You Want To Be A Leader, Go Lead
Leader
Want
Ifs
We're Going To Spend Our Entire Future Living In Tomorrow-investing Now, When It's Difficult, Is The Single Best Moment.
Investing
Tomorrow
Moments
I Don't Think There's A Shortage Of Remarkable Ideas. I Think Your Business Has Plenty Of Great Opportunities To Do Great Things. Nope, What's Missing Isn't The Ideas. It's The Will To Execute Them.
Opportunity
Thinking
Ideas
The Art, The New, The Ability To Connect The Dots And To Make An Impact - Sooner Or Later, That Can Only Come From One Who Creates, Not From A Teacher And Not From A Book.
Teacher
Art
Book
The Goal In Blogging/ Business/ Inspiring Non-fiction Is To Share A Truth, Or At Least A Truth As The Writer Sees It. To Not Just Share It, But To Spread It And To Cause Change To Happen. You Can Do That In At Least Three Ways: With Research (your Own Or Reporting On Others), By Building And Describing Conceptual Structures, Or With Stories That Resonate.
Goal
Three
Fiction
Don't Wait To Be Picked. Pick Yourself.
Waiting
Proactive
Picks
You Can Win With Consistent Benefits, Delivered Over Time. You Win By Incrementally Earning Share, Attention And Trust.
Winning
Marketing
Attention
'good Enough' Stopped Being Good Enough A Long Time Ago. So Why Not Be Great?
Long
Why Not
Mediocrity
Sure, Compare. But Compare The Things That Matter To The Journey You're On. The Rest Is Noise.
Journey
Noise
Matter
Mostly, The Best Way To Be The Next Mark Zuckerberg Is To Make Difficult Choices.
Zuckerberg
Difficult Choices
Way
Deadlines Have A Lousy Name. Call Them Live-lines Instead. That´t What They Are.
Names
Lines
Deadline
Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.


2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.


2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.


2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.


3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.


3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.


3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.



4. Proper Usage of Quotes


4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.


4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.


4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).


5. Common Mistakes to Avoid


5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.


5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.


5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.



6. Quotes in Different Contexts


6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.


6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.


6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.



7. Punctuation and Formatting


Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:


Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.


Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.


Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.



8. Ethical Considerations


Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes


Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.



Conclusion


Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.


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