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21 Killer GRE Essay Quotes You Should Be Using Right Now

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By Jitta Raghavender Rao (https://crunchprep.com/about) GRE Writing (https://crunchprep.com/gre/category/gre-writing) 7

Comments Last updated October 11, 2015

[A] quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious

business. A.A. Milne

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Chances are you too know a few famous quotes, but you probably dont use them. I know so, because Im guilty of
neglecting quotes on the GRE.

So, why should you use essay quotes on the GRE?To start with, the right use of quotes in essays augments the
power of your arguments and makes your essays appear more convincing. Plus, essays with quotes tend to score
better than essays without them, because of the initial impact the use of quotes create on the reader, and help

strengthen your point.

But we need to exercise prudence. Only use quotes as is, if you are convinced that paraphrasing would lower the
impact or change the meaning of the original authors words or when the argument could not be better expressed

or said more succinctly.

Here is how you make sure you are doing it right.

How do I incorporate quotes into my essay?

At times, an essay can appear painfully discorded if the quotations are out of place or if the essay is too stuffed with

quotes.

So, what should you do to avoid this?

A great quote plays one or more roles from the following:

creates the initial impact on the essay grader

makes your essay look more promising and interesting

establishes credibility

concludes the essay with a point to contemplate

If the quote doesnt serve any of the above then you are forcing it into the essay and this could do more harm than

good. MENU

You should start writing your essay with a quote that lays foundation to the main idea behind the essay. This can
have a major impact on the evaluator. You can also comment on the quotation in this introductory paragraph if you

wish. Either way, to get a perfect score on the GRE essay, use a relevant quote strategically but dont force it into

the essay.

Can I alter the structure of the quotation?

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Using the exact words from the original source is called quoting. You should quote when you believe that the way

the original author expresses an idea is the most effective way to communicate the point you wish to make. If you

want to borrow an idea from the author but dont put the idea in their exact words, then its called paraphrasing. (but

remember that you still have to cite the original author even when you are paraphrasing)

For example, Ronald Reagan said, Trust, but verify. You can alter the quotation on your own according to the
passage, by saying: To paraphrase Ronald Reagans famous quote, It is easier to trust when you can verify. By

doing this, you are not only citing the original author, but also gaining extra points for using your own version of the

quote.

How many quotes should I use?

If you deploy a lot of quotations in your essay, it appears as though several people are talking about the topic apart
from yourself. This would downplay your own voice and leaves little room for your own ideas. It is your essay and it

should be your voice that needs to be heard, not some notable/famous persons. Quote as infrequently as possible.

So, dont cram every quote you know into the essay. As a rule of thumb, refrain from using more than 2 quotes in

any essay. (One in the introductory paragraph and the other if necessary in the conclusion)

How do I introduce the quote in my own words?

The last thing you would want is get your score cancelled on account of plagiarism. Its highly recommended that

you cite the author of the quotation. If you dont cite, you may give the impression that you claim to be the original

author and that could result in plagiarism. You should place the quote in double quotation marks. Here is an

example usage citing the author:

Thomas Jefferson once said The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to
protect its free expression should be our rst object.

Categorization of GRE Essay Topics MENU

The fascinating thing about the GRE essay topics is that theyre already published on the ocial ETS website. This
may sound crazy because giving out the questions in advance is not normal. Now, use this to your advantage. You

can nd all the GRE essay topics on the ocial ETS website

(https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/).

But theres a catch! You were expecting a few, right?

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Well, there are close to 200 topics in all far too many to practice responses in advance. Also, practicing each of

these topics is not advisable as it is going to take a lot of time and effort and there is no point in mugging them up.

You could as well spend this time on learning some math. However, theres a good news. Just scanning through
these two lists will give you an excellent idea of the types of issues and arguments that show up on test day.

I just made things a bit easy for you, though. Most of the topics that show up on the GRE essay section can be

broadly grouped into ve categories.

Education

Arts

Government/Politics

Philosophy

Sciences and Technology

So, next time when you practice writing an essay response, make sure you write at least one essay from each of

these categories. And memorize a few quotes related to each one of these topics, as they will be handy.

List of most useful essay quotes

Ive compiled a list of easy-to-digest quotes that should help you write the perfect essay. Bookmark this page NOW

for future reference.

The following quotes from great thinkers have been selected based on their relevance to common GRE essay

topics and for their ease of usage.

1. The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance Socrates

2. A people that value its privileges above its principles soon loses both Dwight D. Eisenhower

3. In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is Yogi Berra

4. A little inaccuracy can sometimes save a ton of explanation H.H Munro MENU

5. Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a
lot of courage to move in the opposite direction Albert Einstein

6. A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually Abba Eban

7. Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good Mohandas Gandhi

8. Whatever government is not a government of laws, is a despotism, let it be called what it may Daniel
Webster

9. Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will nd a way around the
laws Plato

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10. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing Theodore
Roosevelt

11. It is dangerous to be right, when the government is wrong Voltaire

12. The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression
should be our rst object Thomas Jefferson

13. No nation is t to sit in judgment upon any other nation Woodrow Wilson (28th U.S President)

14. The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work Emile Zola

15. The world is full of educated derelicts Calvin Coolidge

16. A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a change to get its pants on Winston Churchill

17. Its not the size of the dog in the ght, its the size of the ght in the dog Mark Twain

18. Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your hearts desire, the other is to get it Socrates

19. If women didnt exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning Aristotle Onasis

20. Men are not disturbed by things, but the view they take of things Epictetus

21. As a rule, men worry more about what they cant see than about what they can Julius Caesar

Now, these are a handful of quotes. The goal is to memorize 5 or 6 of your favorite quotes so youll be able to

contextually t one into the essay on the test day. While practicing, you may look at the list of quotes found above

however, if you can remember a specic quote apposite to your essay topic, try to use it one quote for every

essay.

For those avid writers, who believe the number of quotes above are too low, we have the right tool for you. Ellipsoid

created a random quote generator tool (http://www.ellipsoid.org/gmi/random-quote-generator) that draws 5 famous

quotes from Goodreads every time you reload the page. The good news is these 5 quotes are always theme based

so you know where to use them.

Conclusion
Writing essays isnt all about the substance. Its the basics that many of us forget. If you are going to put in the time
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to practice writing essays, might as well maximize the score you could get by deploying a quote in your essays.

So, whats your favorite quote?

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7 Comments to 21 Killer GRE Essay Quotes You Should Be Using Right

Now

Abdul Fahim says:

REPLY TO ABDUL (HTTPS://CRUNCHPREP.COM/GRE/2014/KILLER-GRE-ESSAY-QUOTES?

REPLYTOCOM=183#RESPOND)

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9/12/2016 21KillerGREEssayQuotesYouShouldBeUsingRightNowCrunchPrepGRE

July 24, 2014 at 11:40 am (https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killer-gre-essay-quotes#comment-183)

i think it is dicult to remember even these 21 quotes in the exam. any tips to remember them will be
helpful. thanks

Sachin Kaundinya (//crunchprep.com) says:

REPLY TO SACHIN (HTTPS://CRUNCHPREP.COM/GRE/2014/KILLER-GRE-ESSAY-QUOTES?

REPLYTOCOM=184#RESPOND)
July 24, 2014 at 12:33 pm (https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killer-gre-essay-quotes#comment-184)

Hey Abdul!

Yes, it is rather dicult to remember all the 21 quotes, which is why we asked you to pick a few of
your favorite ones from the list. Plus, the only way you can remember these quotes is by using
them while you practice AWA essays.

Happy Studying!

Reem says:

REPLY TO REEM (HTTPS://CRUNCHPREP.COM/GRE/2014/KILLER-GRE-ESSAY-QUOTES?

REPLYTOCOM=185#RESPOND)
May 1, 2015 at 12:42 am (https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killer-gre-essay-quotes#comment-185)

I personally memorize the ones that can be useful in more than one topic, and as said learn the
ones you like most.

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Mr. Namey McNamerson says:

REPLY TO MR. (HTTPS://CRUNCHPREP.COM/GRE/2014/KILLER-GRE-ESSAY-QUOTES?

REPLYTOCOM=186#RESPOND)
May 1, 2015 at 3:03 am (https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killer-gre-essay-quotes#comment-186)

Quote number 5 oh, Albert. You make my bricks fall off. As to you, Mr. Kaundinya, I might win a brand
spankin new tablet thanks to your quotes. Im sure my D.A.R.E essay will be awesome.

https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killergreessayquotes 8/11
9/12/2016 21KillerGREEssayQuotesYouShouldBeUsingRightNowCrunchPrepGRE

kristen says:

REPLY TO KRISTEN (HTTPS://CRUNCHPREP.COM/GRE/2014/KILLER-GRE-ESSAY-QUOTES?

REPLYTOCOM=192#RESPOND)
October 8, 2015 at 4:14 pm (https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killer-gre-essay-quotes#comment-192)

I found that they are advantageous,but i dont think that i can get used of them in a short time.

Bhavya says:

REPLY TO BHAVYA (HTTPS://CRUNCHPREP.COM/GRE/2014/KILLER-GRE-ESSAY-QUOTES?

REPLYTOCOM=744#RESPOND)
December 10, 2015 at 5:16 pm (https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killer-gre-essay-quotes#comment-744)

thnx for these awesome quotes guys.im damn sure that thell help a looooooooot in improving my skills.

Sachin Kaundinya (https://crunchprep.com) says:

REPLY TO SACHIN (HTTPS://CRUNCHPREP.COM/GRE/2014/KILLER-GRE-ESSAY-QUOTES?

REPLYTOCOM=766#RESPOND)
December 15, 2015 at 5:56 pm (https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/killer-gre-essay-quotes#comment-766)

Super glad to know they helped you, Bhavya! Hope youll kill some essays with these quotes
now.

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