Scope edit
This project is to provide a quotation of the day for the main page, akin to Wikipedia:Today's featured article.
What's a good quotation? edit
A quotation for this page should be
- Succinct: Quotations should be thirty words or less. Sixty words is going to be too long in most cases. They are not completely out of bounds, but it will be rare one this long will qualify.
- Suitable for polite company: Quotations should be suitable for all audiences. The main page is our welcome mat to the world and we should not use foul language. The cliche of never discussing politics or religion at the dinner table should be kept in mind. While gentle jabs at politicians and religion are in order, this is not a soapbox.
- Amusing, clever, wry, or aphoristic: Quotations should be something to think about or something you'd want to repeat to a friend. Words of wisdom, proverbs, definitions, satirical observations are all welcome.
- Not be overly familiar: Quotations from all realms are in order, but we should use ones which are in no danger of becoming cliched. "In the beginning", "All the world's a stage", and "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse" are not bad quotations, it's just they are very familiar.
Sources edit
This feature should be catholic in its origins. Quotations from pop culture are just as welcome as ones from the Bible or Shakespeare. Song lyrics, poems by Rod McKuen, movie poster taglines, advertising slogans, newspaper headlines, and the other epherma of modern life will be given the same consideration as more "proper" sources.
Form edit
Suggestions should be made with these three elements, described more fully below.
- The QUOTATION
- The SOURCE
- The CITATION
The Quotation edit
The quotation itself should be presented without external quotation marks or any editorial comment.
The Source edit
This refers to who the quotation will be attributed to. For example, if you submitted "It is a truth universally established . . . ", the source would be Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813). The date of the work's original publication, if known, should be listed. Please wikify references to authors and books that have articles in Wikipedia.