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There's Also The Idea In This Country [usa], It's Not Wholly New, But It's New In Its Kind Of Purity, In That You Have To Be Really Smart To Be Really Rich. I Always Say To People, The Reason People Believe This Is A) They've Never Met A Really Smart Person, And B) They've Never Met A Really Rich Person. I Have Met Both, And I Cannot See The Crossover. You Do Not Have To Be A Genius To Get Rich. You Have To Be Ruthless To Get Rich.
-Fran Lebowitz
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There's Also The Idea

Fran Lebowitz
There's Also The Idea In This Country [usa], It's Not Wholly New, But It's New In Its Kind Of Purity, In That You Have To Be Really Smart To Be Really Rich. I Always Say To People, The Reason People Believe This Is A) They've Never Met A Really Smart Person, And B) They've Never Met A Really Rich Person. I Have Met Both, And I Cannot See The Crossover. You Do Not Have To Be A Genius To Get Rich. You Have To Be Ruthless To Get Rich.
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Country
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Calling A Taxi In Texas Is Like Calling A Rabbi In Iraq.
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Children Do Not Really Need Money. After All, They Don't Have To Pay Rent Or Send Mailgrams.
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If Your Sexual Fantasies Were Truly Of Interest To Others, They Would No Longer Be Fantasies.
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Fantasy
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Life
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Gay Pride
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Phones
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President
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Country
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Two
Parent
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College
Years
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Eras
Impossible
Life Is
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Cities
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Children
Abdomen
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Teenager
Believe
Blessed
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Writing
Easier
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People
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Being Old
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People
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Rome
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Men
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New York
Looks
Done
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Careers
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Literature
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Style
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Venice
Ifs
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People
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Humorous
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Literature
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Japan
Average
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Writing
Problem
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Eggs
Criticism
Taste
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Ifs
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People
Soybeans
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Silence
House
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Sex
Children
Humorous
I Just Write When Fear Overtakes Me.
Writing
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Literature
Fame
Warhol
I've Never Had The Experience Of Being Edited And Never Will.
Edited
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People
Stabbing
Adore
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Journey
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Grandparent
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Believe
Cashmere
I Believe
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Writing
Mean
Profession
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Wise
Moving
Thinking
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Lying
Book
Writing
Think Before You Speak. Read Before You Think.
Inspirational
Wisdom
Book
Humility Is No Substitute For A Good Personality.
Inspirational
Humility
Personality
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Writing
Thinking
Six
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Book
School
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Food
Cake
White
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New York
Cities
Immigration
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Thinking
Choices
Internet
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Believe
Thinking
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Hurt
Writing
Blood
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Inspirational
Children
Issues
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Doctors
Self
People
London: A Place You Go To Get Bronchitis.
Cities
Places You Go
London
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Humorous
Drinking
Memorable
When I Started Publishing, I Got Offers To Write For Big Magazines. But I Would Always Say, "well, It's Not That I Don't Want To Write For These Big Magazines, But You Can't Edit It."
Writing
Magazines
Want
If People Don't Want To Listen To You, What Makes You Think They Want To Hear From Your Sweater?
Thinking
Sweaters
People
Communists All Seem To Wear Small Caps, A Look I Consider Better Suited To Tubes Of Toothpaste Than To People.
People
Looks
Communist
The First Time I Ever Saw Platform Shoes In The '70s, I Knew They'd Been Revived From The '40s, And I Felt Sickened. And For Whatever Reason, They Keep Getting Revived. They've Come Back Four Times. I Wish We Could Let Them Die. They Want To Die. They Were Horrible Then, They're Horrible Now.
Wish
Reason
Wanting To Die
When You Reach A Certain Age, Suddenly There Are Lots Of People Younger Than You, Which Is Really Startling.
People
Age
Certain
All The Time I'm Not Writing I Feel Like A Criminal. It's Horrible To Feel Felonious Every Second Of The Day. It's Much More Relaxing To Actually Write.
Writing
Criminals
Horrible
Communism Requires Of Its Adherents That They Arise Early And Participate In A Strenuous Round Of Calisthenics. To Someone Who Wishes That Cigarettes Came Already Lit The Thought Of Such Exertion At An Hour When Decent People Are Just Nodding Off Is Thoroughly Abhorrent.
People
Wish
Abhorrent
I Wish That Real Estate Were Cheaper And Clothes Were More Expensive.
Real
Wish
I Believe In Talent. I Know You're Not Supposed To Believe In That Anymore Because You're Supposed To Believe If You Just Work Hard You Can Do Anything. That's How You Succeed, Maybe. But Talent Is Something You're Born With. You Cannot Acquire It By Working Hard, And You Cannot Lose It By Lying Around Either.
Lying
Believe
Hard Work
I Wouldn't Say That I Dislike The Young. I'm Simply Not A Fan Of Naïveté.
Fans
Vets
Young
Large, Naked, Raw Carrots Are Acceptable As Food Only To Those Who Live In Hutches Eagerly Awaiting Easter.
Funny
Easter
Food
I Always Liked People Who Are Older. Of Course, Every Year It Gets Harder To Find Them.
Years
People
Age
There Are Two Modes Of Transport In Los Angeles: Car And Ambulance. Visitors Who Wish To Remain Inconspicuous Are Advised To Choose The Latter
Two
Car
Wish
Technological Innovation Has Done Great Damage ... To Eating Habits. Food Is Now Available In Such Unpleasant Forms That One Frequently Finds Smoking Between Courses To Be An Aid To Digestion.
Smoking
Innovation
Done
Educational Television Should Be Absolutely Forbidden. It Can Only Lead To Unreasonable Disappointment When Your Child Discovers That The Letters Of The Alphabet Do Not Leap Up Out Of Books And Dance Around With Royal-blue Chickens.
Education
Children
Disappointment
I Never Wanted To Have Any Extra Money, If It Meant Having To Have Any Extra Work.
Extra Work
Wanted
Extras
Once You Go Outside Your Natural Audience, There Are Tons Of People That Don't Like You.
People
Like You
Natural
I Love Being In Love. I Don't Think Anything Compares With It, Though I Consider It Very Disruptive.
Women
Being In Love
Love Is
Los Angeles Is A Large City-like Area Surrounding The Beverly Hills Hotel.
Cities
Beverly Hills
Los Angeles
Children Are Rarely In The Position To Lend One A Truly Interesting Sum Of Money. There Are, However, Exceptions, And Such Children Are An Excellent Addition To Any Party.
Children
Party
Interesting
New York City Is Filled With The Same Kind Of People I Left New Jersey To Get Away From.
New York
Cities
People
I Used To Rent A House In Princeton, New Jersey, And Whenever People Came To Visit Me, I Would Drive Them Past Albert Einstein's House, Which Is The Most Ordinary House In Princeton - A House, Let Me Assure You, That Now A Salesman Wouldn't Live In. I'd Always Say, "that Was Albert Einstein's House." And They'd Say, "what Do You Mean? Why Would Albert Einstein Live In A Little House Like That?" And I'd Always Say To People, "because He Didn't Care!"
Mean
Past
People
The Italians Are The Most Civilized People. And They're Very Warm. Basically, They're Jews With Great Architecture.
People
Architecture
Jew
Smoking Is The Great Romance Of My Lifetime. If I Could Find Someone I Wanted Forty-five Times A Day, Perhaps I Could Stop.
Smoking
Romance
Lifetime
Smoking Is, As Far As I'm Concerned, The Entire Point Of Being An Adult.
Maturity
Smoking
Adults
Television Turned Out To Be Exactly As Bad As The Most Irritating And Pedantic Intellectuals Of The '50s Said It Was Going To Be.
Television
Said
Pedantic
If Food Did Not Exist It Would Be Well-nigh Impossible To Get Certain Types Off The Phone, As One Would Be Unable To Say, 'look, I've Got To Run But Let's Have Dinner Sometime Soon.'
Running
Phones
Dinner
I Believe In Talking Behind Peoples' Backs. That Way, They Hear It More Than Once.
Believe
Talking
Way
Remember This: No Matter How Politely Or Distinctly You Ask A Parisian A Question He Will Persist In Answering You In French.
Paris
Matter
Remember
It's Very Important Who The President Of The United States Is. America Is A Great Idea, So That's Why It's A Great Country.
Country
America
Ideas
It Is Not True That There Is Dignity In All Work. Some Jobs Are Definitely Better Than Others.... People Who Have Good Jobs Are Happy, Rich, And Well Dressed. People Who Have Bad Jobs Are Unhappy, Poor And Use Meat Extenders. Those Who Seek Dignity In The Type Of Work That Compels Them To Help Hamburgers Are Certain To Be Disappointed.
Jobs
People
Unhappy
Having Been Unpopular In High School Is Not Just Cause For Book Publications.
Book
Writing
School
My Desire To Curtail Undue Freedom Of Speech Extends Only To Such Public Areas As Restaurants, Airports, Streets, Hotel Lobbies, Parks, And Department Stores. Verbal Exchanges Between Consenting Adults In Private Are As Of Little Interest To Me As They Probably Are To Them.
Airports
Hotel Lobby
Freedom Of Speech
[friendships] Are Easy To Get Out Of Compared To Love Affairs, But They Are Not Easy To Get Out Of Compared To, Say, Jail.
Friendship
Jail
Affair
Girls Who Put Out Are Tramps. Girls Who Don't Are Ladies. This Is, However, A Rather Archaic Usage Of The Word. Should One Of You Boys Happen Upon A Girl Who Doesn't Put Out, Do Not Jump To The Conclusion That You Have Found A Lady. What You Have Probably Found Is A Lesbian.
Girl
Women
Gay
If People Had Gavels, There Would Be No Wars. If Every Person In The World Had A Gavel And Could Bang It And Get Everyone's Attention Right Away And Make Their Displeasure Known, I Believe The Level Of Actual Violence In The World Would Just Disappear To Practically Nothing.
War
Believe
People
Without These Tourists, New York Would Be Fantastic. I Don't Want Them To Come. Stay Home!
New York
Home
Tourists
Until I Was About 7, I Thought Books Were Just There, Like Trees. When I Learned That People Actually Wrote Them, I Wanted To, Too, Because All Children Aspire To Inhuman Feats Like Flying. Most People Grow Up To Realize They Can't Fly. Writers Are People Who Don't Grow Up To Realize They Can't Be God.
Children
Growing Up
Book
Scientists - The Crowd That For Dash And Style Make The General Public Look Like The Bloomsbury Set.
Style
Looks
Literature
When Toni Morrison Said 'write The Book You Want To Read,' She Didn't Mean Everybody.
Book
Writing
Mean
What's So Great Thing About Clothes Is That They're Artificial - You Can Lie, You Can Choose The Way You Look, Which Is Not True Of Natural Beauty. So If You're Naturally Beautiful, Wear What You Want, But That's 01% Of People. Most People Just Aren't Good Looking Enough To Wear What They Have On. They Should Change. They Should Get Some Slacks And A Nice Overcoat. Remember When The Style Was Incredibly Messy Hair? That's Great If You're A Model. But If You're Not A Model, You Would Look Better If You Washed Your Hair, Because You Are Not Beautiful.
Beautiful
Nice
Lying
I Love Sleep Because It Is Both Pleasant And Safe To Use. Pleasant Because One Is In The Best Possible Company And Safe Because Sleep Is The Consummate Protection Against The Unseemliness That Is The Invariable Consequence Of Being Awake. What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You. Sleep Is Death Without The Responsibility.
Hurt
Sleep
Responsibility
I Never Would Start Writing Before Midnight And I Would Finish At, Like, Seven In The Morning.
Morning
Writing
Midnight
In New York, People Are Very Overbooked.you Say, When Do You Want To Have Dinner? It's May. They Say, What About October? And Then They Complain: Oh You Can't Believe How Booked Up I Am.
New York
Believe
People
If People Don't Hold Grudges, It Means They Just Don't Care What People Do.
Mean
People
Care
All Style Is Personal - That's What Distinguishes It From Fashion.
Fashion
Style
I Prefer Dead Writers Because You Don't Run Into Them At Parties.
Running
Party
What Starts Love Is Your Ability To Stupefy And Blind Yourself To The Point Of Being Able To Fall In Love. What Stops It Is Waking Up.
Love
Fall
Wake Up
I Never Had A Typewriter. I Never Had Any Machines.
Typewriters
Machines
For The Movie Review Columns, I Always Knew Exactly What I Was Going To Write About - The Movies.
Writing
Columns
Reviews
It Is, In Fact, Safe To Assume That, More Often Than Not, Life Imitates Craft, For Who Among Us Can Say That Our Experience Does Not More Closely Resemble A Macramé Plant Holder Than It Does A Painting By Seurat. When It Comes To Art, Life Is The Biggest Copycat In The Matter Of The Frame.
Art
Doe
Crafts
Bread That Must Be Sliced With An Axe Is Bread That Is Too Nourishing.
Funny
Food
Cooking
Smoking Is, As Far As I Am Concerned, The Entire Point Of Being An Adult. Many People Find Smoking Objectionable. I Myself Find Many - Even More - Things Objectionable. I Do Not Like Aftershave Lotion, Adults Who Roller-skate, Children Who Speak French, Or Anyone Who Is Unduly Tan. I Do Not, However, Go Around Enacting Legislation And Putting Up Signs.
Children
Speaks French
People
I Never Met Anyone Who Didn't Have A Very Smart Child. What Happens To These Children, You Wonder, When They Reach Adulthood?
Life
Children
Smart
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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