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I Think Probably Kindness Is My Number One Attribute In A Human Being. I'll Put It Before Any Of The Things Like Courage Or Bravery Or Generosity Or Anything Else.
-Roald Dahl
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I Think Probably Kindness

Roald Dahl
I Think Probably Kindness Is My Number One Attribute In A Human Being. I'll Put It Before Any Of The Things Like Courage Or Bravery Or Generosity Or Anything Else.
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Kindness
Thinking
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Obscurity
Virtue
Give Us Strength, Oh Lord, To Let Our Children Starve.
Children
Giving
Lord
Watch With Glittering Eyes The Whole World Around You.
Eye
Secret Places
Magic In The World
I Regard Each Sentence As A Little Wheel... Now And Again I Try To Put A Really Big One Next To A Very Small One In Such A Way That The Big One, Turning Slowly, Will Make The Small One Spin So Fast That It Hums. Very Tricky, That.
Trying
Wheels
Littles
Pain Was Something We Were Expected To Endure. But I Doubt Very Much If You Would Be Entirely Happy Today If A Doctor Threw A Towel In Your Face And Jumped On You With A Knife.
Pain
Doctors
Knives
There Is No Place I Know That Compares To Pure Imagination.
Imagination
Compare
Knows
Books Shouldn't Be Daunting, They Should Be Funny, Exciting And Wonderful.
Book
Reading
Wonderful
The Books Transported Her Into New Worlds And Introduced Her To Amazing People Who Lived Exciting Lives. She Went On Olden-day Sailing Ships With Joseph Conrad. She Went To Africa With Ernest Hemingway And To India With Rudyard Kipling. She Travelled All Over The World While Sitting In Her Little Room In An English Village.
Reading
Book
People
A Message To Children Who Have Read This Book - When You Grow Up And Have Children Of Your Own, Do Please Remember Something Important: A Stodgy Parent Is No Fun At All. What A Child Wants And Deserves Is A Parent Who Is Sparky.
Children
Growing Up
Fun
I'd Rather Be Fried Alive And Eaten By Mexicans.
Alive
...there Are No Secrets Unless You Keep Them To Yourself, And This Was The Greatest Secret I Had Ever Had To Keep In My Life So Far.
Secret
I Therefore Invite You All," Mr Fox Went On, 'to Stay Here With Me For Ever.' For Ever!' They Cried. 'my Goodness! How Marvellous!' And Rabbit Said To Mrs Rabbit, 'my Dear, Just Think! We're Never Going To Be Shot Again In Our Lives!' We Will Make,' Said Mr Fox, 'a Little Underground Village, With Streets And Houses On Each Side - Seperate Houses For Badgers And Moles And Rabbits And Weasels And Foxes. And Every Day I Will Go Shopping For You All. And Every Day We Will Eat Like Kings.' The Cheering That Followed This Speech Went On For Many Minutes.
Kings
Cheer
Thinking
You Is Getting Nosier Than A Parker.
So, Please, Oh Please, We Beg, We Pray, Go Throw Your Tv Set Away, And In Its Place You Can Install, A Lovely Bookcase On The Wall.
Motivational
Wall
Book
You Can Write About Anything For Children As Long As You've Got Humour.
Children
Writing
Long
There Is Something About Very Cold Weather That Gives One An Enormous Appetite. Most Of Us Find Ourselves Beginning To Crave Rich Steaming Stews And Hot Apple Pies And All Kinds Of Delicious Warming Dishes; And Because We Are All A Great Deal Luckier Than We Realize, We Usually Get What We Want—or Near Enough.
Weather
Apples
Pie
But It Is Impossible To Replace A Person One Has Loved To Distraction.
Love
Impossible
Distraction
My Darling," She Said At Last, Are You Sure You Don't Mind Being A Mouse For The Rest Of Your Life?" "i Don't Mind At All" I Said. It Doesn't Matter Who You Are Or What You Look Like As Long As Somebody Loves You.
Love You
Long
Mind
And Above All, Watch With Glittering Eyes The Whole World Around You Because The Greatest Secrets Are Always Hidden In The Most Unlikely Places. Those Who Don't Believe In Magic Will Never Find It.
Inspirational
Life
Believe
We Make Realities Out Of Our Dreams And Dreams Out Of Our Realities. We Are The Dreamers Of The Dream.
Dream
Reality
Dreamer
Though My Father Was Norwegian, He Always Wrote His Diaries In Perfect English.
Father
Perfect
Diaries
If A Person Has Ugly Thoughts, It Begins To Show On The Face. And When That Person Has Ugly Thoughts Every Day, Every Week, Every Year, The Face Gets Uglier And Uglier Until You Can Hardly Bear To Look At It.
Years
Looks
Ugly
Some Children Are Spoiled And It Is Not Their Fault, It Is Their Parents.
Children
Parent
Faults
All Norwegian Children Learn To Swim When They Are Very Young Because If You Can't Swim It Is Difficult To Find A Place To Bathe.
Children
Swim
Young
When You're Writing, It's Rather Like Going On A Very Long Walk
Writing
Long Walks
Long
If I Were A Headmaster, I Would Get Rid Of The History Teacher And Get A Chocolate Teacher Instead And My Pupils Would Study A Subject That Affected All Of Them.
Teacher
Food
Cooking
We Have So Much Time And So Little To Do. Strike That, Reverse It.
Inspirational
Funny
Sarcastic
Words," He Said, "is Oh Such A Twitch-tickling Problem To Me All My Life.
Tickling
Problem
Said
I Never Get Any Protests From Children. All You Get Are Giggles Of Mirth And Squirms Of Delight. I Know What Children Like.
Children
Delight
Mirth
A Person Who Has Good Thoughts Cannot Ever Be Ugly. You Can Have A Wonky Nose And A Crooked Mouth And A Double Chin And Stick-out Teeth, But If You Have Good Thoughts They Will Shine Out Of Your Face Like Sunbeams And You Will Always Look Lovely.
Beauty
Uplifting
Teacher
Lalalalalalallalalallalalalal Have Nothing To Say
Now That I Am Alone, I Don't Have To Hide It; I Don't Have To Hide Anything Any Longer. I Can Let My Face Go Because No One Can See Me; Because There's Twenty-one Thousand Feet Between Me And Them... No, I Don't Have To Press My Teeth Together Or Tighten The Muscles Of My Jaw.
Feet
Together
Twenties
I've Always Said To Myself That If A Little Pocket Calculator Can Do It Why Shouldn't I?
Believe In Yourself
Pockets
Littles
The Life Of A Writer Is Absolute Hell Compared To The Life Of A Businessman.
Hell
Businessman
Absolutes
Prayers Were Held In Assembly Hall. We All Perched In Rows On Wooden Benches While Teachers Sat Up On The Platform In Armchairs, Facing Us.
Teacher
Prayer
Benches
Then Suddenly, He Was Struck By A Powerful But Simple Little Truth, And It Was This: That English Grammar Is Governed By Rules That Are Almost Mathematical In Their Strictness!
Powerful
Simple
English Grammar
There Are Many Other Little Refinements Too, Mr. Bohlen. You'll See Them All When You Study The Plans Carefully. For Example, There's A Trick That Nearly Every Writer Uses, Of Inserting At Least One Long, Obscure Word Into Each Story. This Makes The Reader Think That The Man Is Very Wise And Clever. So I Have The Machine Do The Same Thing. There'll Be A Whole Stack Of Long Words Stored Away Just For This Purpose." Where?" In The 'word-memory' Section," He Said, Epexegetically.
Wise
Clever
Memories
Mr. Twit Was A Twit. He Was Born A Twit. And, Now At The Age Of Sixty, He Was A Bigger Twit Than Ever.
Age
Born
Bigger
Kindness - That Simple Word. To Be Kind - It Covers Everything, To My Mind. If You're Kind That's It.
Kindness
Simple
Mind
Titchy Little Snapperwhippers Like You Should Not Be Higgling Around With An Old Sage And Onions Who Is Hundreds Of Years More Than You.
Years
Onions
Sage
You'll Never Get Anywhere If You Go About What-iffing Like That.
Ifs
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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