# Disable auto-italics in quotes? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015 "2010-10-13T16:03:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/1 "2010-10-13T16:03:46Z")
Two related questions: 1.) Is there a reason that an attributed quote is always italicized? 2.) Is there any way to disable this “feature”? I find it obnoxious for two reaons: 1.) It does not apply to all quotes. A quote that is attributed by including the author in the quote tag after the equals sign is redered in italics; a quote that does not have an attribution built into the tag does not. 2.) The new italics do not in any way take into account existing formatting. Any words that were already italicized in the original quote will now be lost among the general swarm of italics. * * * I am including \*this sentence \*so that I can quote it to demonstrate what I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/2 "2010-10-13T16:10:01Z")
**1.) Attribution as provided by the board:** > [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I am including \*this sentence \*so that I can quote it to demonstrate what I’m talking about. Everything is in italics: both text that already was and text that wasn’t. **2.) Attribution as a user might give a post manually, which includes a name but no link:** [QUOTE=Shot From Guns] I am including \*this sentence \*so that I can quote it to demonstrate what I’m talking about. [/QUOTE] Same formatting as the first example. **3.) No attribution build into the tag, as happens when a user responds to various parts of a post in sequence:** > [@](#): > > I am including \*this sentence \*so that I can quote it to demonstrate what I’m talking about. Quote is formatted properly, i.e., as it appeared when it was written. Clearly, the object of the italics is to separate the attribution from the quote. But why not italicize the attribution, instead? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/3 "2010-10-14T15:41:37Z")
Agreed. Earlier last week, I purposely removed the link from a quote tag, thinking it would leave the original formatting, but it did not. I was too lazy to go back and quote **Irishman** -style, so I left it, but the italics in the original quote were would make it so quote-worthy! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/4 "2010-10-14T19:55:53Z")
**Shot From Guns** said: > [@](#): > > Two related questions: > > 1.) Is there a reason that an attributed quote is always italicized? > 2.) Is there any way to disable this “feature”? AGREED!!! It is annoying and frustrating. It serves no purpose. The quote is already offset with a quote box. The attribution line is clearly delineated by being a stand alone line at the top. There is no need to italicize the quote verses the attribution. Furthermore, the attribution could be outside/above the quote box. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/5 "2010-10-15T20:35:49Z")
Triple agreed. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/6 "2010-10-15T23:50:19Z")
I always assumed that the reason this was done is that we don’t know how to stop it. If that is the case, does anyone else who has worked with vBulletin know how to fix it? **Giraffe**? **Seven** (if you’re even still around)? **xash**? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/7 "2010-10-16T03:54:15Z")
Actually, a quick google seems to indicate that it’s as easy to do as Giraffe’s first quote thing was. [http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?226833-Remove-italics-from-quotes&p=1339262&viewfull=1#post1339262](http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?226833-Remove-italics-from-quotes&p=1339262&viewfull=1#post1339262) ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/8 "2010-10-16T04:33:52Z")
Quadruple agreed. I’ve noticed this too but didn’t think there’d be a way to change it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/9 "2010-10-18T01:46:26Z")
Hey, are the mods discussing this in the loop, or has this been denied? I’m pretty sure it will not have the problems of the nested quote thing. Heck, it fits the idea of not wanting to modify quotes. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/10 "2010-10-18T12:35:12Z")
I can’t see any potential downsides to this- only upsides. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/11 "2010-10-18T20:24:15Z")
Yes, could we please get some admin/mod input as to what your thoughts are? A “We’re looking into it” or even a “We don’t care” would be welcome. I just want to know that someone who’s in a potential position to consider the idea has eyeballs on the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/12 "2010-10-18T20:34:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Actually, a quick google seems to indicate that it’s as easy to do as Giraffe’s first quote thing was. > > [Remove italics from quotes? - vBulletin Community Forum](http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?226833-Remove-italics-from-quotes&p=1339262&viewfull=1#post1339262) And we saw how that worked out. 😛 Seriously. I dunno much about this. I’ll bounce it around the mod loop. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/13 "2010-10-18T20:42:08Z")
Try it now. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/14 "2010-10-18T20:44:04Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Try it now. Like so. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/15 "2010-10-18T20:44:37Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Try it now. O.K., I will. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/16 "2010-10-18T20:45:44Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > _Try_ it **now**. Test. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/17 "2010-10-18T20:55:40Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Try it now. I like it. I note that the earlier posts in this thread using quote tags now display using this non-italic system, so they no longer illustrate the point they were making – but that’s a small price to pay for this improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/18 "2010-10-18T21:14:50Z")
On the plus side, they now display _accurately_. Hoorah! Thanks for the swift work, **Gfactor** , **TubaDiva** , and anyone involved behind the scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/19 "2010-10-18T21:17:26Z")
_EXCELLENT!!!_ Thank you thank you thank you! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015/20 "2010-10-18T21:35:56Z")
Good job! 🆒 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-auto-italics-in-quotes/557015.md?page=2)