Essay

MLA quotations

If a quotation if 3 or fewer lines, you will need to introduce it and include it in the sentence and regular margins of the page. For example:

One way to understand the universe in Buddhist principles is to look at the idea of Indra’s

Net. Matthew Bortolin, in his book The Dharma of Star Wars, discusses how Indra’s Net “describes reality as stretching infinitely in all directions, with a jewel in every node of the net” (42).

In this example, the idea was introduced in a previous sentence first. Since this is the first time we are using a quote from this author and this book, we should use his name as well as the name of his book. Quotation marks enclosed the quote and the ending before the in-text citation, which comes before the ending punctuation of the sentence. As I have given his name, I have no need to include it in the in-text citation.

Other ways to do this: Put the quote in the sentence that describes it. Here you put the author’s last name in the in-text citation.

One way to understand the universe in Buddhist principles is to look at the idea of Indra’s

Net and how it “describes reality as stretching infinitely in all directions, with a jewel in every node of the net” (Bortolin 42).

Yet another way: In this way, you give away little info on the quote.

Indra’s Net “describes reality as stretching infinitely in all directions, with a jewel in every node of the net” (Bortolin 42).

And yet, one more way, this time we are using a colon to off-set the quote as it is not a regular part of the sentence.

In The Dharma of Star Wars, Matthew Bortolin illustrates how similar the Jedi’s idea of the symbiont circle is to the Buddhist idea of the Indra’s Net: “describes reality as stretching infinitely in all directions, with a jewel in every node of the net” (42).

Quotes do not stand alone. They must be introduced in some way and connect to a sentence in some way. This must occur even with long quotes.

If you wanted to use a quote longer than 3 lines of regular text (in your essay, or in the original in the case of a poem), you will have to off-set it from the text. Start on a new line and tab over once, this is an inch from the margin. Maintain double spacing throughout quote. You may use a colon if the quote is more of a comment on the sentence than a part of it. You do not have to use one if the quote ends up finishing the whole of the sentence (subject, verb, etc.). No quotation marks, and quote starts with capitalization.

In The Dharma of Star Wars, Matthew Bortolin illustrates how similar the Jedi’s idea of

the symbiont circle is to the Buddhist idea of the Indra’s Net:

Describes reality as stretching infinitely in all directions, with a jewel in every

node of the net. Each jewel reflects every other jewel, and within each the reflections are compounded, creating reflection upon reflection into infinity. Standing at any point on Indra’s Net we and everything else are reflected limitlessly. The Net of Indra reveals to us that when we look at R2D2 we are also looking at proton torpedoes, imperial probe droids, moisture farmers, economic embargoes, and the infinite number of things that comprise the entire universe – including us. (Bortolin 42)

Long quotations can be part and parcel of the sentence. The quote changes little, but this time you do not include a colon.

One way to understand the universe in Buddhist principles is to look at the idea of Indra’s

Net and how it

Describes reality as stretching infinitely in all directions, with a jewel in every

node of the net. Each jewel reflects every other jewel, and within each the reflections are compounded, creating reflection upon reflection into infinity. Standing at any point on Indra’s Net we and everything else are reflected limitlessly. The Net of Indra reveals to us that when we look at R2D2 we are also looking at proton torpedoes, imperial probe droids, moisture farmers, economic embargoes, and the infinite number of things that comprise the entire universe – including us. (Bortolin 42)