The Writing Prompt:
Writing About a Quote
Catherine Wishart
Literacy Coach
Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved.
Responding to a Controversial
Quote
The Controversial Quote
• “In many things it is
not well to say,
‘Know thyself’; it is
better to say, ‘Know
others.’”
– Menander
http://www.inspirationalquotes.info/people.html
• Ask yourself: “Do I
agree or disagree
with this quote?”
• If you agree, think
about why you
agree.
• If you disagree,
think about why you
disagree.
A Sample Response to this Quote
• Introduction:
– Write name of author and quote in a sentence.
– “While some people agree with this quote, other people
disagree. ”
– “But what does this quote mean to me? As for me….” (thesis
that lists three ideas)
• Paragraph 2, 3, and 4
– Topic sentence (paragraph 2 for first part of thesis, paragraph 3
for second part of thesis, and paragraph 4 for last part of thesis
– In each paragraph, give one or two examples to prove the topic
sentence is correct
• Conclusion
– “In conclusion, (the author) was right (or wrong!)
– Explain why you agree or disagree with the author
– Restate your thesis statement using different words
Planning a Response to This Quote:
The Introductory Paragraph
• State the quote and the author in the first sentence.
• Explain that some people agree with this quote while
other people disagree with it.
• Ask, “But what does this quote mean to me?”
• Write a thesis statement. Your thesis statement will
change according to your response.
– You can start your thesis statement with: “As for me….”
– Your thesis statement should also say if you agree or
disagree with the quote.
• Try to list three ideas in your thesis statement that
you will talk about. These three ideas will be your
outline for your essay.
A Sample Response to This Quote:
The Introductory Paragraph
According to Menander, “In many things it is not
well to say, ‘Know thyself’: it is better to say, ‘Know
others.’” While some people agree with this quote,
other people disagree. But what does this quote mean
to me? As for me, I disagree with this quote because I
think knowing myself is important so I am able to make
good choices, avoid peer pressure, and plan my future.
The Second Paragraph:
Answering the First Part of the Thesis
Statement
• Thesis statement: As for me, I disagree
with this quote because I think knowing
myself is important so I am able to
make good choices, avoid peer
pressure, and plan my future.
• This paragraph should talk about
making good choices.
A Sample Response to This Quote:
The Second Paragraph
I know that I need to know myself so that I can
make good choices. If I didn’t know that I really enjoy
music more than I like playing sports, I might be on a
sports team and not enjoying myself. But I know that I
like music a lot. So I spend time learning how to play
the guitar and practicing singing. I also have made
friends who enjoy the same kinds of things. We can
talk about what we like about music and we can talk
about which artists interest us the most and why.
The Third Paragraph:
Answering the Second Part of the
Thesis Statement
• Thesis statement: As for me, I disagree
with this quote because I think knowing
myself is important so I am able to
make good choices, avoid peer
pressure, and plan my future.
• This paragraph should be about how to
avoid peer pressure.
A Sample Response to This Quote:
The Third Paragraph
I also know that I need to know myself so I can
avoid peer pressure. If I listen to others instead of
myself, I could fall into trouble. Some of my friends
smoke cigarettes. Because I know myself, I don’t let
them talk me into smoking, too. Whenever friends
suggest something, I can decide what to do because I
know myself.
The Fourth Paragraph:
Answering the Third Part of the Thesis
Statement
• Thesis statement: As for me, I disagree
with this quote because I think knowing
myself is important so I am able to
make good choices, avoid peer
pressure, and plan my future.
• This paragraph should be about how to
plan my future.
A Sample Response to This Quote:
The Fourth Paragraph
I also need to know myself so that I can plan my
future. Many people have ideas about what I should do
and what kind of job I should get. But I’m the only one
who knows me well enough to decide what is best for
me. I like music, so I might decide to do something with
music for a job. I have to think about what I like and what
I am good at to plan my future.
The Fifth Paragraph:
Planning the Conclusion
• Start out with “In conclusion,” and then
say that the author of the quote was
right or wrong.
• Explain why the author was right or
wrong in one sentence. You can use
part of the quote in your answer.
• Restate your thesis statement. Try to
use different words to say the same
thing.
A Sample Response to This Quote:
The Conclusion
In conclusion, Menander was wrong. I think he
was wrong because he believes that people need to
know others better than they know themselves. But I
need to know myself so I can do the right thing, listen
to myself more than my friends, and prepare for my
future.
Putting It All Together
According to Menander, “In many things it is not well to say, ‘Know thyself’: it is
better to say, ‘Know others.’” While some people agree with this quote, other people
disagree. But what does this quote mean to me? As for me, I disagree with this quote
because I think knowing myself is important so I am able to make good choices, avoid peer
pressure, and plan my future.
I know that I need to know myself so that I can make good choices. If I didn’t know
that I really enjoy music more than I like playing sports, I might be on a sports team and not
enjoying myself. But I know that I like music a lot. So I spend time learning how to play the
guitar and practicing singing. I also have made friends who enjoy the same kinds of things.
We can talk about what we like about music and we can talk about which artists interest us
the most and why.
I also know that I need to know myself so I can avoid peer pressure. If I listen to
others instead of myself, I could fall into trouble. Some of my friends smoke cigarettes.
Because I know myself, I don’t let them talk me into smoking, too. Whenever friends suggest
something, I can decide what to do because I know myself.
I also need to know myself so that I can plan my future. Many people have ideas
about what I should do and what kind of job I should get. But I’m the only one who knows me
well enough to decide what is best for me. I like music, so I might decide to do something
with music for a job. I have to think about what I like and what I am good at to plan my future.
In conclusion, Menander was wrong. I think he was wrong because he believes
that people need to know others better than they know themselves. But I need to know
myself so I can do the right thing, listen to myself more than my friends, and prepare for my
future.
Take Your Choice
Carefully read both of the quotes listed below. Decide to which
quote you would like to respond.
• “You can’t just turn on creativity like a
faucet. You have to be in the right mood” (Bill
Watterson).
• “Anyone who trades
liberty for security
deserves neither
liberty nor security”
(Benjamin Franklin).
Works Cited
• Easy Literacy.
http://www.easyliteracy.com.
• Inspirational Quotes.
http://www.inspirational-quotes.info.
• Think Exist. http://www.thinkexist.com.