quotation in PS

[shadowcreeper]

To be honest, I do not think that starting a statment with a quote is bad, pending on the situation. If you have nothing better to start the statement with and you are coping out by using a quote, then that is a bad thing.

My personal statement starts with a quote from a councelor that carries the rest of my story, but it is more like a conversation than a quote, since it is a conversation that we had, not just an inspirational quote or anything like that. In my opinion something like that is ok because it is part of an event.

If you are dead set on starting your personal statement with a quote, I would attribute it to the proper source. Do not leave quotes open ended, it would make people wonder who said them and where it came from.

[guptroop]

What I was wondering was what the best way to introduce a quote, in say the intro paragraph.  I've seen quotes used in many ps, and they work if used appropriately.

Oh, and good writers borrow...great writers steal outright.

[The ZAPINATOR]

The one I use is Rage Against the Machine's quote "If ignorance is bliss, wipe the smile off my face."  I go on to relate that to how I grew up abroad, shed ignorance about the real world out there, but also carried away from it a sense of gravity, and a dedication to the world's burdens.  I don't feel it's gimmicky or high-schoolish, just a good way to set the tone for the statement.

Opinions on this?  I haven't sent it out and, and I'm constantly trying to improve it.  I think it sets the exact tone I want to set with the essay at large, so it works.  If you don't think it would be good to start it like that, I'd like to know why.  Thanks!

ZAP

[guptroop]

Zap, it makes me very happy that you're quoting RATM (do you listen to Audioslave at all?).  Just as long as you don't quote, "F*ck you, I won't do what you tell me."    

Not sure if I have any opinions whether it is gimmicky or high-schoolish.  I don't really remember hs, so I'm not an expert on what is high-schoolish.  My feeling is that one sentence won't kill a well written paper.  If you have cohesion and flow, she'll be right.

[The ZAPINATOR]

Zap, it makes me very happy that you're quoting RATM (do you listen to Audioslave at all?).  Just as long as you don't quote, "F*ck you, I won't do what you tell me."    

Not sure if I have any opinions whether it is gimmicky or high-schoolish.  I don't really remember hs, so I'm not an expert on what is high-schoolish.  My feeling is that one sentence won't kill a well written paper.  If you have cohesion and flow, she'll be right.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

I like Killing in the Name of, and trust me, that was my first choice.  Several friends had to drag me away from the computer to stop me from turning my PS into a paranoid Marxist rant.  J/K

But I do like Audioslave.  Do I like it as much as Rage?  No.  I love Cornell, but that's because I loved Soundgarden.  Thing is, I loved Rage more than Soundgarden, but for me what really set Rage apart was Zach, combined with Tom Morello using his guitar as a turntable.  Unfortunately, when Zach left and they formed Audioslave with Cornell, Tom Morello became more of a conventional guitarist, and it seemed to me a little too similar to Soundgarden.  So while I enjoy their material, just as I enjoyed Soundgarden, I still want my Rage back.

Maybe someday Zach De La Rocha will return, after he's done freeing Latin America through Guerilla warfare.  I wait anxiously for that day.

ZAP

[swifty]

What I was wondering was what the best way to introduce a quote, in say the intro paragraph.  I've seen quotes used in many ps, and they work if used appropriately.

Oh, and good writers borrow...great writers steal outright.

Shakespeare stole almost everything he wrote.

I have no problems starting a PS with a quote.  The problem is finding one that nobody has heard of, and is appropriate to what you are saying. 

"It was the worst of times, it was the best of times."  Nope.  Aint gonna do it. 

[noell]

But I do like Audioslave.  Do I like it as much as Rage?  No.  I love Cornell, but that's because I loved Soundgarden.  Thing is, I loved Rage more than Soundgarden, but for me what really set Rage apart was Zach, combined with Tom Morello using his guitar as a turntable.  Unfortunately, when Zach left and they formed Audioslave with Cornell, Tom Morello became more of a conventional guitarist, and it seemed to me a little too similar to Soundgarden.  So while I enjoy their material, just as I enjoyed Soundgarden, I still want my Rage back.

Whoa ... my head is spinning after I read this ... lol ... it almost makes me want to diagram it somehow.  This might make a good Logic Game.

[dta]

Just because someone once said something brilliant doesn't mean you should quote him/her.

In a Personal Statement you have a limited amount of real estate to work with, often only 2 pages. To fill such valuable real estate with someone else's writing shows not only a serious lack of judgement (you've only got 2 pages - use it to showcase *YOUR* writing, not someone else's) but also shows a lack of ability to creatively expound upon ideas in your own voice.

Someone said something brilliant once? Great. Bully for him/her. Use your own personal statement to create your own marvelous piece of writing itself worthy of quotation by others. At least strive for that. Quoting someone else shows you've already given up before you've even started. Quoting someone else at the beginning of your PS *REALLY* shows a lack of ability to depend on your own self.

I think the exception to this is, as one poster pointed out above, when the quote comes from a conversation you were directly participating in. In such context you genuinely have some ownership of the quote insofar as you personally experienced/witnessed/were involved with it.

[guptroop]

This is a great point.  But as said, only true when you have a limited amount of space.

Plus, I like how you said, "bully for him/her."  Very Teddyesque. :-)

Just because someone once said something brilliant doesn't mean you should quote him/her.

In a Personal Statement you have a limited amount of real estate to work with, often only 2 pages. To fill such valuable real estate with someone else's writing shows not only a serious lack of judgement (you've only got 2 pages - use it to showcase *YOUR* writing, not someone else's) but also shows a lack of ability to creatively expound upon ideas in your own voice.

Someone said something brilliant once? Great. Bully for him/her. Use your own personal statement to create your own marvelous piece of writing itself worthy of quotation by others. At least strive for that. Quoting someone else shows you've already given up before you've even started. Quoting someone else at the beginning of your PS *REALLY* shows a lack of ability to depend on your own self.

I think the exception to this is, as one poster pointed out above, when the quote comes from a conversation you were directly participating in. In such context you genuinely have some ownership of the quote insofar as you personally experienced/witnessed/were involved with it.

[Butch]

<<The one I use is Rage Against the Machine's quote "If ignorance is bliss, wipe the smile off my face."  >>


Zap, your essay sounds really good...my first thought is that a lot of people are going to see "Rage against the machine" and automatically characterize you as an unprofessional, etc.  I mean, Rage (whom I love) has that "in your face, @#!* you" mentality and being a lawyer is really about upholding the law and following the law and system, even if you dont agree with it. you can lobby to change it, but you can't have a "@#!* you" mentality to it.

beyond that, i think your essay woudl stand without the quote and would be more effective...i just worry that automatically you'll be seen as some young, angry person who is unprofessional.