Wikipedia:Quotations From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the Manual of Style on quotes, see WP:MOSQUOTE. Essay.svg This page is a guidance essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. It is not a Wikipedia policy or guideline, although it may be consulted for assistance on the Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information policy and the Do not include the full text of lengthy primary sources guideline. It may contain opinions that are shared by few or no other editors; potential measure of how the community views this essay may be gained by consulting the history and talk pages, and checking what links here. Shortcut: WP:QUOTE A quotation from Thoreau Quotations are a fundamental part of Wikipedia articles. Quotations—often informally called quotes—provide information directly; quoting a brief excerpt from an original source can sometimes explain things better and less controversially than trying to explain them in ones own words. This page sets out guidelines for using quotations in Wikipedia articles, from a style, formatting and copyright perspective. Contents [hide] 1 Comparison with paraphrases 1.1 Examples 2 General guidelines 2.1 Formatting 3 Recommended use 4 Overuse 4.1 Specific recommendations 4.2 Examples in which encyclopedias may list many quotes 5 Copyrighted material and fair use 6 See also 7 Notes Comparison with paraphrases[edit] Quotations vs. paraphrases Quotations Paraphrases Definitions Verbatim text, enclosed by quotation marks or set off by other formatting elements (such as block-indenting) Text based on a source, but rephrased in Wikipedia editors own words Attribution Both quotations and paraphrases must be attributed to their sources Verbatim text Yes, usually an unedited, exact reproduction of the original source, with any alterations (such as corrections or abridgements) clearly marked as such No, the meaning of the original source is faithfully