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"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."

Eric Hoffer, from "The Passionate State of Mind"

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."

(Check your answer at the end of today's article.)

Chances that a U. S. adult can't identify the source of the phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

(Check your answer at the end of today's article.)

"After twelve years of therapy, my psychiatrist said something that brought tears to my eyes.

He said: 'No hablo ingl©s.'"

--Ronnie Shakes

Should you use quotations in your conversations? That's

the question.

My own answer is "yes." At least, use them occasionally.

Why use quotations at all?

1. Quotations can lend spicy flavors to ordinary talk.

Everyday talk can be characterized as most often routine. If people use quotations at all, their quotations tend to be worn-out, deadly clich©s.

From the Broadway musical, "Kiss Me, Kate!," men get this (good) advice from a song:

"Brush up your Shakespeare,

Start quoting him now.

Brush up your Shakespeare

And the women you will wow."

For romance, quote (or write) your beloved a love poem. Remember the success of Cyrano de Bergerac? Or Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "How do I love you? Let me count the ways." Or Shakespeare's words describing Cleopatra: "Age cannot wither, nor custom stale, her infinite variety."

2. Quotations can add humor and levity

This is my main purpose for using quotations. For example, when someone asks me where I grew up, I tell them "Duluth, Minnesota." "Wow!", they respond. That's a cold part of the country, isn't it? And I might add: "Right. Bob Hope said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in Duluth." 99% of the time, I get a chuckle.

To describe someone who performs a high-risk experiment without adequate information, I might say "Mark Twain said that a fellow who picks a cat up by the tail gets a hundred times as much information as one who's never done it."

Using the source on the front end of a humorous quotation "sets up" the listener to expect humor. I always give credit to the source, and the source name adds to the quotation. For humor, I use a few dozen favorite quotations of Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Jay Leno, Mark Twain, Lily Tomlin, Mae West, and W. C. Fields.

3. Quotations can add authority to your talk.

By quoting respected experts, you can add some "heft" to your words. For example, the concept of diplomacy backed by military might was colorfully (and memorably) expressed by President Teddy Roosevelt's advice to "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

Of all the millions of words uttered by special people like politicians, artists, authors, scientists, philosophers, and leaders of movements, only a few remain as poignant and pithy enough for posterity. These are nuggets that greatly condense language into insight or wisdom.

Here's a nugget from philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "If we have a 'why' to live, we can endure almost any 'how'."

Another favorite, this by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

Cautions about using quotations:

If you use quotations too often, you may appear to be showing off, and nobody likes a smarty-pants showoff. As I see it, the purpose of using quotations is to enrich the conversation, not to elevate the speaker.

A few generations ago, it was standard practice in the public schools that students commit to memory both poems and historical documents. Most eighth graders could recite the Gettysburg Address or Walt Whitman's "Captain, My Captain." High-schoolers memorized Shakespearean sonnets and the Declaration of Independence. Sunday school students memorized proverbs and parables from scriptures. But those practices are no more.

Because I don't want to be seen as either pedantic or old-fashioned, I use quotations judiciously and only when they are directly related to the topic being discussed. And I always give credit to the authors. As W. C. Fields might say about my practice, "Anyone who gives credit where it's due can't be all bad."

Famous Quotations: Who Said This?

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."

Correct answer: Sinclair Lewis, author, Nobel prize for literature, 1930

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

La Triviata Culture Quiz

Chances that a U. S. adult can't identify the source of the phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Correct answer: 7 in 10.

Loren Ekroth ©2009, all rights reserved

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life.