- Google allows users to search the Web for images, news, products, video, and other content.
- Download this app from Microsoft Store for Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8.1. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Best Quotes Ever Lite.
- Quotes by Author - E and F. More Authors by Last Name: Quotes by Author (ordered by last name) - Click on the name to see quotations from the author of your choice.
Google allows users to search the Web for images, news, products, video, and other content.
There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.
Looking for some smile quotes to start your day on the right foot?
Look no further. This page has a curated list of 71 of the most popular, fun, funny and loving quotes about smiles and smiling.
Get ready to grin when you get to some of these fun smile quotes. But first, let's take a quick look at how smilings (and by extension these quotes) can make a difference in your life.
(Side note: Another positive way to improve your life is to read and learn something new every day. A great tool to do this is to join over 1 million others and start your day with the latest FREE, informative news from this website.)
What You Will Learn
Why Smiling Matters
Smiling has many benefits.
Studies show that a genuine smile contributes to your health. It can lift your mood, alleviate your stress, and relieve any pain you're feeling. Did you know that it can even regulate your blood pressure?
Indeed, smiling (and generally being happy) regularly affects your health by relaxing your muscles, then regulating your heart rate and blood pressure. It can boost your immunity as well, protecting you from many possible diseases. A 2009 study can attest to that.
But more than what it can do to your health, smiling is regarded as one of the simplest ways to lighten up your day. Haven't you noticed how people who often smile a lot attract positivity?
A simple smile can bring out all the positive emotions in you. Relatively, it helps you build better and stronger relationships with the people around you. Most important, it makes you feel good, regardless of your current mood, as it highlights the natural feeling of joy.
In this post, we have gathered 71 smile quotes that can make your life longer and your day a little happier. If every person in the world could smile a little bit more, imagine how we all can be filled with so much happiness.
E Quotes Lite
These quotes about smiling and being happy are mostly from great people who have been through a lot of obstacles, yet have succeeded just because they believed in the power of smiles. Through this gesture alone, they won their battles and influenced many people to happily live life while struggling to make things better.
For the first part, we give you the smile quotes that are all about your own special smile – what it can do to lift your mood, and how it can change the way you look at life.
But that's not all that is there to it. These quotes reveal how much your smile can mean to other people, whether they are your friends, loved ones, or a mere stranger.
Wouldn't it be nice to share some confidence and good vibes by just smiling? No doubt, the answer would be yes!
In addition to having a sunny disposition, certain habits increase your happiness. I invite you to check out this book containing the 53 specific habits you need to raise the level of happiness you're experiencing in your life right now.
Your Smile Quotes
'Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.'– Thich Nhat Hanh
'When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.'
'Share your smile with the world. It's a symbol of friendship and peace.'– Christie Brinkley
'Keep a smile on your face and let your personality be your autograph.'
'Smiling is definitely one of the best beauty remedies. If you have a good sense of humor and a good approach to life, that's beautiful.'– Rashida Jones
'Nothing you wear is more important than your smile.' – Connie Stevens
'Smile, happiness looks gorgeous on you.'
'A smile puts you on the right track. A smile makes the world a beautiful place. When you lose your smile, you lose your way in the chaos of life.'– Roy T. Bennett
'A smile remains the most inexpensive gift I (you) can bestow on anyone and yet its powers can vanquish kingdoms.'– Og Mandino
'Sometimes, your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.'– Thich Nhat Hanh
'Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.'
'Smile and gratitude will make you stronger.'
'A simple smile. That's the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.'– Dalai Lama
'Smile, smile, smile at your mind as often as possible. Your smiling will considerably reduce your mind's tearing tension.' – Sri Chinmoy
'Your smile looks beautiful on you, you should wear it more often.'
'If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.'
'It only takes a split second to smile and forget, yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime.' – Steve Maraboli
A simple smile can be someone's salvation in times of stress and loneliness. Imagine your friend who is in grief. It wouldn't hurt to share your smile to uplift his or her mood.
Your smile is a disease. It's contagious. It can convey a message that words cannot. More important, it can make other people want to be around you as it makes them feel secure.
Now, why not turn that smile into a bit of laughter?
Our next set of quotes are cute and funny smile quotes that can make you somehow giggle or laugh. They are encouraging words mixed with humor to make you feel a little happier.
You can use them to brighten your day or someone else's. They won't just make you feel good; they will also bring you genuine joy and laughter.
Funny Smile Quotes
'Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.' – Mark Twain
'People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile.' – Lee Mildon
'Keep smiling. It makes people wonder what you are up to.'
'You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.' – Al Capone
E Quotes Liter
'A smile is the chosen vehicle of all ambiguities.'– Herman Melville
'A smile confuses an approaching frown.'
'It is impossible to persuade a man who does not disagree, but smiles.' – Muriel Spark
'Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.' – George Eliot
'Smile. It will either warm their heart or piss them off. Either way, you win.'
'Smile. Have you ever noticed how easily puppies make human friends? Yet all they do is wag their tails and fall over.' – Walter Anderson
'If you're not using your smile, you're like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook.' – Les Giblin
'A smile is a powerful weapon; you can even break ice with it.'
'A smile is a facelift that's in everyone's price range!' – Tom Wilson
'Your wrinkles either show that you're nasty, cranky, and senile, or that you're always smiling.'– Carlos Santana
'You can only hold a smile for so long, after that it's just teeth.' – Chuck Palahniuk
'A smile is an instant facelift and an instant mood lift.' – Christie Brinkley
Who doesn't love a good laugh?
Whenever you're feeling a little down, just read the above set of quotes (and share them to make other people feel good as well). Certainly, you'll forget your problems for a while, and who knows? You might just find the solution right after.
Our third set is a compilation of famous smile quotes from people who believed that one simple smile can change a hundredfold of things in anyone's life. They believed in what a smile can do, and so they made it a point to share their values.
You can use these beautiful smile quotes not just to remind yourself of how good life can be, but to let others see as well the beauty that life can offer.
Famous Smile Quotes
'Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.' – Dr. Seuss
'Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it' when things are tough.' – Richard M. Devos
'Smile big. Laugh often. Never take this life for granted.'
'Smile, even if it's a sad smile, because sadder than a sad smile is the sadness of not knowing how to smile.'
'Always wear a smile sometime during the day, it makes you feel happier and younger.' – Kylie Bax
'Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.' – W.C. Fields
'Smile at the obstacle, for it is a bridge.' – Medusa
'A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.'
'Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart.' – Anthony J. D'Angelo
'Smile from your heart; nothing is more beautiful than a woman (person) who is happy to be herself.'– Kubra Sait
'Every day is a new beginning. Take a deep breath, smile and start again.'
'Nothing shakes the smiling heart.' – Santosh Kalwar
'A smile is a happiness you'll find right under your nose.' – Tom Wilson
'Smiling is the best way to face every problem, to crush every fear and to hide every pain.'
'Of all the medicines in the inner life, a smile is by far the best medicine.' – Sri Chinmoy
'A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.' – Phyllis Diller
'Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you.' – Peace Pilgrim
Every day, you need to remind yourself that even if life is full of obstacles, you can always overcome the challenges.
How do you start? Smile, then encourage yourself that it will all be all right in the end. If it's not yet all right, then it's not yet the end.
Our last section is composed of smile quotes that are all about love – for a special someone, a friend, a family member, or even a stranger. As I have mentioned earlier, a smile can convey a message that words cannot. More often than not, we call this message 'love.'
Love Smile Quotes
'You are somebody's reason to smile.'
'Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.' – Thich Nhat Hanh
'A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.' – William Arthur Ward
'Never underestimate the importance of having a person in your life who can always make you smile.'
'Worry less, smile more. Don't regret, just learn and grow.'
'A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes by a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.' – NDTV
'A smile is so sexy, yet so warm. When someone genuinely smiles at you, it's the greatest feeling in the world.' – Mandy Moore
'Dare, dream, dance, smile, and sing loudly! And have faith that love is an unstoppable force!' – Suzanne Brockmann
'Your smile brightens the lives of all who see it. To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.' – Dale Carnegie
'If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.' – Maya Angelou
'Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world.'
'Always remember to be happy because you never know who's falling in love with your smile.'
'Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.' – Mother Teresa
Final Thoughts on Smile Quotes
There is no exact formula in finding true happiness. However, you can always start with a smile. Whether it's one you give or one you receive, one that is for a special someone or a total stranger, a simple smile can turn a myriad of negative thoughts into positive ones.
Spread the love and be the reason why someone's mood has been lifted. But more important than that, for yourself, choose to be happy and allow your heart to embrace positivity.
Did any of the quotes resonate with what you're feeling? We'd love to hear about your experience! Feel free to share your story in the comment section below.
If you like any of the images in this post, we'd appreciate it a lot if you share it through your favorite social media platform.
Don't waste your time being sad and lonely. Smile. It makes a whole world of difference.
Finally, if you want another positive way to improve your life, then read and learn something new every day. A great tool to do this is to join over 1 million others and start your day with the latest FREE, informative news from this website.
Build the Gratitude Habit with The 90-Day Gratitude Journal
Check out my best-selling journal called 'The 90-Day Gratitude Journal: A Mindful Practice for a Lifetime of Happiness.'
With this journal, you will build a powerful daily gratitude habit and re-discover all the great things that are already in your life.
One of the hardest writing techniques to learn and remember is how to quote a quote—yes, quote is one of those words that's both a verb ('Can I quote you on that?') and a noun ('I'm learning how to correctly punctuate quotes.'). There are so many rules for quoting quotes that it can be hard to keep track of them all. How do you 'run in' a quote? What's a block quotation? When does punctuation go inside quotation marks, and when should it be placed outside? Do quotes ever not need quotation marks? What are the rules for how to cite a quote? In this post, we'll answer these questions and more, so you can quote quotes with confidence.
How to Quote a Brief Passage
If you intend to quote a short passage in your writing, you'll want to format it as a run-in quotation. Run-in quotes are always enclosed in quotation marks, and whether punctuation appears inside or outside the quotation marks depends on the punctuation: periods and commas go inside the quotation marks, and question marks and exclamation points that aren't original to the quoted material appear outside the quotation marks.
- Virginia Woolf says that when learning to write, 'it is impossible to read too much.'
- One of the most famous lines in modern theater is from A Streetcar Named Desire, when Stanley yells, 'Stella! Stella!'
- Who was it who said, 'A stitch in time saves nine'?
How to Quote a Longer Passage
Longer quotes, usually six to eight or more complete sentences, are called block quotations. To set them off from the rest of the text, you should begin block quotations on their own line and indent them half an inch. Unlike run-in quotations, block quotations are not enclosed in quotation marks. If you're wondering whether you should quote a quote as a run-in or block quotation, a good rule of thumb is that if the quote is longer than one hundred words (or more than one paragraph or stanza), you should probably set it off as a block quotation.
Here's an example:
In his essay 'Why I Write,' George Orwell describes the difficult process every writer faces when writing a book:
Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. For all one knows that demon is simply the same instinct that makes a baby squall for attention. And yet it is also true that one can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to efface one's own personality. Good prose is like a windowpane. I cannot say with certainty which of my motives are the strongest, but I know which of them deserve to be followed.
Other Types of Quotes and How to Format Them
How to format run-in and block quotes is easy to learn with practice, but throw different types of quotes into the mix, and things get complicated again.
Quoting poetry
When you're quoting poetry, it's best to set off a quote of two or more lines as a block quotation (remember that block quotations don't take quotation marks).
Billy Collins's poem 'Introduction to Poetry' begins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide.
If you run a short poetry quotation of no more than two lines into the text, the quote should be enclosed in quotation marks, and the line break should be indicated with a slash with a space on each side.
A few lines later, Collins's poem continues with 'I say drop a mouse into a poem / and watch him probe his way out,' an interesting use of imagery to describe the experience of studying poetry.
Quote within a quote
There are different rules for quotes within run-in quotations and quotes within block quotations.
Because run-in quotes are enclosed in double quotation marks, a quote within a quote takes single quotation marks.
- The humor in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland thrives on statements of the obvious, such as this quote from chapter 12: '‘Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.''
In contrast, because block quotes are not enclosed in quotation marks, a quote within a quote takes double quotation marks.
- The humor in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland thrives on statements of the obvious, such as this passage from chapter 12:
The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. 'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked.
'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'
Quoting dialogue
Quoting dialogue can be tricky, but as it usually involves more than one paragraph, it's best formatted as a block quotation. When block quotations contain several paragraphs, the paragraphs should retain the paragraph indents of the original material. As explained above, though block quotations don't take quotation marks, dialogue within the block quote should be enclosed in double quotation marks.
- In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen effectively implies Elizabeth's initial dislike for Mr. Darcy through conversations such as the following, which takes place during a dance:
'What think you of books?' said he, smiling.
'Books—oh! no. I am sure we never read the same, or not with the same feelings.'
'I am sorry you think so; but if that be the case, there can at least be no want of subject. We may compare our different opinions.'
'No—I cannot talk of books in a ball-room; my head is always full of something else.'
Likewise, when you're quoting dialogue from plays, such as Shakespeare's verse dialogue, quotes should be formatted similarly to poetry.
Romeo's unfailing optimism is frequently emphasized in his conversations with Juliet.
JULIET. O think'st thou we shall ever meet again?
ROMEO. I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve
For sweet discourses in our time to come.
Commas or Colons?
Should you introduce quotes with commas or colons? As you've probably already noticed in our examples, it depends on the sentence's structure.
If the introductory phrase is not a complete sentence, use a comma before the quote.
- At the beginning of Moby-Dick, the narrator says, 'Call me Ishmael.'
If the quote follows an independent clause (a complete sentence), use a colon.
- This is how Moby-Dick begins: 'Call me Ishmael.'
If the quote fits into the sentence syntactically, don't use a comma or a colon.
- In the first line of Moby-Dick, the narrator tells us to call him 'Ishmael.'
Quotations and Capitalization
Similar to using commas or colons with quotes, whether a quote begins with a capital or lowercase letter depends on the sentence structure, regardless of the capitalization in the original quote.
When to start a quote with a lowercase letter
For both run-in and block quotations, when a quote functions as a syntactical part of the sentence, it should begin with a lowercase letter.
- In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens's statement that the story takes place during both 'the best of times' and 'the worst of times' establishes a theme of contrast that will appear throughout the book.
When to start a quote with a capital letter
For both run-in and block quotations, when the quote is not syntactically essential, the first letter may be capitalized.
- The opening line of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' alerts readers to watch for contrasts in the book.
Using Square Brackets in Quotes
If you're trying to quote a quote but it doesn't fit into the syntax of your sentence, what do you do? This is where square brackets come to the rescue: they allow you to change a word or two to make the quote fit into a sentence.
- In the first line of Moby-Dick, the narrator tells us to 'call [him] Ishmael.'
Quotes and Ellipses
An ellipsis generally indicates a word or several words have been removed from quoted material. How to quote a quote using ellipses is a complicated discussion, and different style guides have quite different rules. We at Elite most often use Chicago style when we're editing, so that's what we'll use here to explain when, where, and if ellipses should appear in quotes.
At the beginning
You should almost never use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote, even if you've removed the entire beginning of the sentence.
At the end
Similarly, an ellipsis at the end of a quote is rarely necessary, even if you've removed most of the end of the sentence. Only use an ellipsis is the sentence is deliberately grammatically incomplete.
In the middle
When you remove words from the middle of sentences or paragraphs, that's when you'll use an ellipsis.
When you remove one or more words from the middle of a sentence, use a three-dot ellipsis; when you remove the end of a sentence or the beginning of the next sentence, use a three-dot ellipsis after a period. The following passage is from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby:
- There was so much to read for one thing and so much fine health to be pulled down out of the young breath-giving air. I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment securities and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew. And I had the high intention of reading many other books besides.
Here's how to use ellipses to shorten the above passage:
- There was so much to read.…I bought a dozen volumes…and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint.…And I had the high intention of reading many other books besides.
Cme Equotes Lite
In poetry
When you remove words in poetry, the ellipsis rules are a bit different. If you remove a few words, follow the ellipsis guidelines above. If you remove an entire line or several lines from a poem, use a line of widely spaced dots approximately the same length as the preceding line. Here's an example from Robert Frost's poem 'Birches':
- When I see birches bend…
'Share your smile with the world. It's a symbol of friendship and peace.'– Christie Brinkley
'Keep a smile on your face and let your personality be your autograph.'
'Smiling is definitely one of the best beauty remedies. If you have a good sense of humor and a good approach to life, that's beautiful.'– Rashida Jones
'Nothing you wear is more important than your smile.' – Connie Stevens
'Smile, happiness looks gorgeous on you.'
'A smile puts you on the right track. A smile makes the world a beautiful place. When you lose your smile, you lose your way in the chaos of life.'– Roy T. Bennett
'A smile remains the most inexpensive gift I (you) can bestow on anyone and yet its powers can vanquish kingdoms.'– Og Mandino
'Sometimes, your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.'– Thich Nhat Hanh
'Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.'
'Smile and gratitude will make you stronger.'
'A simple smile. That's the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.'– Dalai Lama
'Smile, smile, smile at your mind as often as possible. Your smiling will considerably reduce your mind's tearing tension.' – Sri Chinmoy
'Your smile looks beautiful on you, you should wear it more often.'
'If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.'
'It only takes a split second to smile and forget, yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime.' – Steve Maraboli
A simple smile can be someone's salvation in times of stress and loneliness. Imagine your friend who is in grief. It wouldn't hurt to share your smile to uplift his or her mood.
Your smile is a disease. It's contagious. It can convey a message that words cannot. More important, it can make other people want to be around you as it makes them feel secure.
Now, why not turn that smile into a bit of laughter?
Our next set of quotes are cute and funny smile quotes that can make you somehow giggle or laugh. They are encouraging words mixed with humor to make you feel a little happier.
You can use them to brighten your day or someone else's. They won't just make you feel good; they will also bring you genuine joy and laughter.
Funny Smile Quotes
'Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.' – Mark Twain
'People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile.' – Lee Mildon
'Keep smiling. It makes people wonder what you are up to.'
'You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.' – Al Capone
E Quotes Liter
'A smile is the chosen vehicle of all ambiguities.'– Herman Melville
'A smile confuses an approaching frown.'
'It is impossible to persuade a man who does not disagree, but smiles.' – Muriel Spark
'Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.' – George Eliot
'Smile. It will either warm their heart or piss them off. Either way, you win.'
'Smile. Have you ever noticed how easily puppies make human friends? Yet all they do is wag their tails and fall over.' – Walter Anderson
'If you're not using your smile, you're like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook.' – Les Giblin
'A smile is a powerful weapon; you can even break ice with it.'
'A smile is a facelift that's in everyone's price range!' – Tom Wilson
'Your wrinkles either show that you're nasty, cranky, and senile, or that you're always smiling.'– Carlos Santana
'You can only hold a smile for so long, after that it's just teeth.' – Chuck Palahniuk
'A smile is an instant facelift and an instant mood lift.' – Christie Brinkley
Who doesn't love a good laugh?
Whenever you're feeling a little down, just read the above set of quotes (and share them to make other people feel good as well). Certainly, you'll forget your problems for a while, and who knows? You might just find the solution right after.
Our third set is a compilation of famous smile quotes from people who believed that one simple smile can change a hundredfold of things in anyone's life. They believed in what a smile can do, and so they made it a point to share their values.
You can use these beautiful smile quotes not just to remind yourself of how good life can be, but to let others see as well the beauty that life can offer.
Famous Smile Quotes
'Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.' – Dr. Seuss
'Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it' when things are tough.' – Richard M. Devos
'Smile big. Laugh often. Never take this life for granted.'
'Smile, even if it's a sad smile, because sadder than a sad smile is the sadness of not knowing how to smile.'
'Always wear a smile sometime during the day, it makes you feel happier and younger.' – Kylie Bax
'Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.' – W.C. Fields
'Smile at the obstacle, for it is a bridge.' – Medusa
'A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.'
'Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart.' – Anthony J. D'Angelo
'Smile from your heart; nothing is more beautiful than a woman (person) who is happy to be herself.'– Kubra Sait
'Every day is a new beginning. Take a deep breath, smile and start again.'
'Nothing shakes the smiling heart.' – Santosh Kalwar
'A smile is a happiness you'll find right under your nose.' – Tom Wilson
'Smiling is the best way to face every problem, to crush every fear and to hide every pain.'
'Of all the medicines in the inner life, a smile is by far the best medicine.' – Sri Chinmoy
'A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.' – Phyllis Diller
'Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you.' – Peace Pilgrim
Every day, you need to remind yourself that even if life is full of obstacles, you can always overcome the challenges.
How do you start? Smile, then encourage yourself that it will all be all right in the end. If it's not yet all right, then it's not yet the end.
Our last section is composed of smile quotes that are all about love – for a special someone, a friend, a family member, or even a stranger. As I have mentioned earlier, a smile can convey a message that words cannot. More often than not, we call this message 'love.'
Love Smile Quotes
'You are somebody's reason to smile.'
'Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.' – Thich Nhat Hanh
'A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.' – William Arthur Ward
'Never underestimate the importance of having a person in your life who can always make you smile.'
'Worry less, smile more. Don't regret, just learn and grow.'
'A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes by a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.' – NDTV
'A smile is so sexy, yet so warm. When someone genuinely smiles at you, it's the greatest feeling in the world.' – Mandy Moore
'Dare, dream, dance, smile, and sing loudly! And have faith that love is an unstoppable force!' – Suzanne Brockmann
'Your smile brightens the lives of all who see it. To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.' – Dale Carnegie
'If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.' – Maya Angelou
'Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world.'
'Always remember to be happy because you never know who's falling in love with your smile.'
'Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.' – Mother Teresa
Final Thoughts on Smile Quotes
There is no exact formula in finding true happiness. However, you can always start with a smile. Whether it's one you give or one you receive, one that is for a special someone or a total stranger, a simple smile can turn a myriad of negative thoughts into positive ones.
Spread the love and be the reason why someone's mood has been lifted. But more important than that, for yourself, choose to be happy and allow your heart to embrace positivity.
Did any of the quotes resonate with what you're feeling? We'd love to hear about your experience! Feel free to share your story in the comment section below.
If you like any of the images in this post, we'd appreciate it a lot if you share it through your favorite social media platform.
Don't waste your time being sad and lonely. Smile. It makes a whole world of difference.
Finally, if you want another positive way to improve your life, then read and learn something new every day. A great tool to do this is to join over 1 million others and start your day with the latest FREE, informative news from this website.
Build the Gratitude Habit with The 90-Day Gratitude Journal
Check out my best-selling journal called 'The 90-Day Gratitude Journal: A Mindful Practice for a Lifetime of Happiness.'
With this journal, you will build a powerful daily gratitude habit and re-discover all the great things that are already in your life.
One of the hardest writing techniques to learn and remember is how to quote a quote—yes, quote is one of those words that's both a verb ('Can I quote you on that?') and a noun ('I'm learning how to correctly punctuate quotes.'). There are so many rules for quoting quotes that it can be hard to keep track of them all. How do you 'run in' a quote? What's a block quotation? When does punctuation go inside quotation marks, and when should it be placed outside? Do quotes ever not need quotation marks? What are the rules for how to cite a quote? In this post, we'll answer these questions and more, so you can quote quotes with confidence.
How to Quote a Brief Passage
If you intend to quote a short passage in your writing, you'll want to format it as a run-in quotation. Run-in quotes are always enclosed in quotation marks, and whether punctuation appears inside or outside the quotation marks depends on the punctuation: periods and commas go inside the quotation marks, and question marks and exclamation points that aren't original to the quoted material appear outside the quotation marks.
- Virginia Woolf says that when learning to write, 'it is impossible to read too much.'
- One of the most famous lines in modern theater is from A Streetcar Named Desire, when Stanley yells, 'Stella! Stella!'
- Who was it who said, 'A stitch in time saves nine'?
How to Quote a Longer Passage
Longer quotes, usually six to eight or more complete sentences, are called block quotations. To set them off from the rest of the text, you should begin block quotations on their own line and indent them half an inch. Unlike run-in quotations, block quotations are not enclosed in quotation marks. If you're wondering whether you should quote a quote as a run-in or block quotation, a good rule of thumb is that if the quote is longer than one hundred words (or more than one paragraph or stanza), you should probably set it off as a block quotation.
Here's an example:
In his essay 'Why I Write,' George Orwell describes the difficult process every writer faces when writing a book:
Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. For all one knows that demon is simply the same instinct that makes a baby squall for attention. And yet it is also true that one can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to efface one's own personality. Good prose is like a windowpane. I cannot say with certainty which of my motives are the strongest, but I know which of them deserve to be followed.
Other Types of Quotes and How to Format Them
How to format run-in and block quotes is easy to learn with practice, but throw different types of quotes into the mix, and things get complicated again.
Quoting poetry
When you're quoting poetry, it's best to set off a quote of two or more lines as a block quotation (remember that block quotations don't take quotation marks).
Billy Collins's poem 'Introduction to Poetry' begins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide.
If you run a short poetry quotation of no more than two lines into the text, the quote should be enclosed in quotation marks, and the line break should be indicated with a slash with a space on each side.
A few lines later, Collins's poem continues with 'I say drop a mouse into a poem / and watch him probe his way out,' an interesting use of imagery to describe the experience of studying poetry.
Quote within a quote
There are different rules for quotes within run-in quotations and quotes within block quotations.
Because run-in quotes are enclosed in double quotation marks, a quote within a quote takes single quotation marks.
- The humor in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland thrives on statements of the obvious, such as this quote from chapter 12: '‘Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.''
In contrast, because block quotes are not enclosed in quotation marks, a quote within a quote takes double quotation marks.
- The humor in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland thrives on statements of the obvious, such as this passage from chapter 12:
The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. 'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked.
'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'
Quoting dialogue
Quoting dialogue can be tricky, but as it usually involves more than one paragraph, it's best formatted as a block quotation. When block quotations contain several paragraphs, the paragraphs should retain the paragraph indents of the original material. As explained above, though block quotations don't take quotation marks, dialogue within the block quote should be enclosed in double quotation marks.
- In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen effectively implies Elizabeth's initial dislike for Mr. Darcy through conversations such as the following, which takes place during a dance:
'What think you of books?' said he, smiling.
'Books—oh! no. I am sure we never read the same, or not with the same feelings.'
'I am sorry you think so; but if that be the case, there can at least be no want of subject. We may compare our different opinions.'
'No—I cannot talk of books in a ball-room; my head is always full of something else.'
Likewise, when you're quoting dialogue from plays, such as Shakespeare's verse dialogue, quotes should be formatted similarly to poetry.
Romeo's unfailing optimism is frequently emphasized in his conversations with Juliet.
JULIET. O think'st thou we shall ever meet again?
ROMEO. I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve
For sweet discourses in our time to come.
Commas or Colons?
Should you introduce quotes with commas or colons? As you've probably already noticed in our examples, it depends on the sentence's structure.
If the introductory phrase is not a complete sentence, use a comma before the quote.
- At the beginning of Moby-Dick, the narrator says, 'Call me Ishmael.'
If the quote follows an independent clause (a complete sentence), use a colon.
- This is how Moby-Dick begins: 'Call me Ishmael.'
If the quote fits into the sentence syntactically, don't use a comma or a colon.
- In the first line of Moby-Dick, the narrator tells us to call him 'Ishmael.'
Quotations and Capitalization
Similar to using commas or colons with quotes, whether a quote begins with a capital or lowercase letter depends on the sentence structure, regardless of the capitalization in the original quote.
When to start a quote with a lowercase letter
For both run-in and block quotations, when a quote functions as a syntactical part of the sentence, it should begin with a lowercase letter.
- In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens's statement that the story takes place during both 'the best of times' and 'the worst of times' establishes a theme of contrast that will appear throughout the book.
When to start a quote with a capital letter
For both run-in and block quotations, when the quote is not syntactically essential, the first letter may be capitalized.
- The opening line of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' alerts readers to watch for contrasts in the book.
Using Square Brackets in Quotes
If you're trying to quote a quote but it doesn't fit into the syntax of your sentence, what do you do? This is where square brackets come to the rescue: they allow you to change a word or two to make the quote fit into a sentence.
- In the first line of Moby-Dick, the narrator tells us to 'call [him] Ishmael.'
Quotes and Ellipses
An ellipsis generally indicates a word or several words have been removed from quoted material. How to quote a quote using ellipses is a complicated discussion, and different style guides have quite different rules. We at Elite most often use Chicago style when we're editing, so that's what we'll use here to explain when, where, and if ellipses should appear in quotes.
At the beginning
You should almost never use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote, even if you've removed the entire beginning of the sentence.
At the end
Similarly, an ellipsis at the end of a quote is rarely necessary, even if you've removed most of the end of the sentence. Only use an ellipsis is the sentence is deliberately grammatically incomplete.
In the middle
When you remove words from the middle of sentences or paragraphs, that's when you'll use an ellipsis.
When you remove one or more words from the middle of a sentence, use a three-dot ellipsis; when you remove the end of a sentence or the beginning of the next sentence, use a three-dot ellipsis after a period. The following passage is from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby:
- There was so much to read for one thing and so much fine health to be pulled down out of the young breath-giving air. I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment securities and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew. And I had the high intention of reading many other books besides.
Here's how to use ellipses to shorten the above passage:
- There was so much to read.…I bought a dozen volumes…and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint.…And I had the high intention of reading many other books besides.
Cme Equotes Lite
In poetry
When you remove words in poetry, the ellipsis rules are a bit different. If you remove a few words, follow the ellipsis guidelines above. If you remove an entire line or several lines from a poem, use a line of widely spaced dots approximately the same length as the preceding line. Here's an example from Robert Frost's poem 'Birches':
- When I see birches bend…
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy's been swinging them.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
How to Cite a Quote
Similar to the rules for ellipses, how to cite a quote depends largely on which style guide you're using. So when you're deciding how to cite a quote in your writing, you should use the citation style that's most relevant to your field (or, if you're a student, the style guide your teacher stipulates). Whatever style guide you use, the most important thing is to cite your sources as clearly and thoroughly as possible.
Parenthetical citations and punctuation
One aspect of citation that's largely consistent across citation styles is where parenthetical citations appear in a quote. Keep in mind that in run-in quotes, the sentence's terminal punctuation should appear after the parenthetical citation, but in block quotes, this is reversed, and the parenthetical citation should appear outside the terminal punctuation.
Straight or Curly Quotes?
We've talked about everything from how to quote short and long passages to how to cite a quote to how to punctuate quotes in various contexts, but you have one more punctuation decision to make: Should you use straight or curly quotes with your quotations? Usually, either is fine, and all we can really say here is that one of the keys to excellent writing is consistency—so whichever type of quotation marks you use, stick with it throughout your piece!
Conclusion
As we've mentioned throughout this post, learning how to format quotations takes practice. But once you've learned the rules, you'll be able to use quotations effectively to support and clarify your writing.
