Integrating Quotes



Be careful about using quotes that are too long and that you do not mix in with your own words. Let's look at an example.

This is not what you want to do with a long quote:
In "The Culture of Consumerism," Juliet Schor discusses the subject of consumerism. "Oddly, it doesn't seem as if we're spending wastefully, or even lavishly. Rather, many of us feel we're just making it, barely able to stay even. But what's remarkable is that this feeling is not restricted to families of limited income" (255).

*Be sure that a quote never constitutes the entire sentence. Integrate the quotes with your own words.

This is what you want to do with a long quote:
In "The Culture of Consumerism," Juliet Schor discusses the subject of consumerism. According to Schor, "oddly, it doesn't seem as if we're spending wastefully, or even lavishly" (255). Moreover, "many of us feel we're just making it, barely able to stay even" (255). "What's remarkable is that this feeling is not restricted to families of limited income," she concludes (255).

Also, by splitting up the quotes, you can now insert some of your own commentary between the lines:
In "The Culture of Consumerism," Juliet Schor discusses the subject of consumerism. According to Schor, "oddly, it doesn't seem as if we're spending wastefully, or even lavishly" (255). Although we may spend a lot of money on things we don¡¯t need, Schor believes that we see these expenditure as necessities. Moreover, "many of us feel we're just making it, barely able to stay even" (255). In this sense, much of the American public defines getting by not as being able to satisfy the basic needs of clothing, food, and shelter but as being able to buy the next trendy item, the latest pair of designer jeans, a pair of cool sunglasses. In short, we often confuse desire with need. "What's remarkable is that this feeling is not restricted to families of limited income," he concludes (255). Thus, the sense of not having enough is not based on income level. Instead, this feeling of always needing more affects everyone.