# How do I attribute this quote? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-attribute-this-quote/224646 "2004-01-15T20:49:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-attribute-this-quote/224646/1 "2004-01-15T20:49:49Z")
I can’t find a clear answer to this in style guides (it’s not a citation for an endnote or footnote, but just to include in a text). When attributing a quote made by a fictional character in a novel/play, do you attribute it to the character or to the author of the work? For example, would you write: _“Tomorrow is another day.”_ Scarlett O’Hara OR _“Tomorrow is another day.”_ Margaret Mitchell (Assume that it’s a much lesser known work than GWTW and not everybody will know who Scarlett O’Hara was.)\ Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-attribute-this-quote/224646/2 "2004-01-15T21:05:47Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I can’t find a clear answer to this in style guides (it’s not a citation for an endnote or footnote, but just to include in a text). When attributing a quote made by a fictional character in a novel/play, do you attribute it to the character or to the author of the work? For example, would you write: > > _“Tomorrow is another day.”_ Scarlett O’Hara > > OR > > _“Tomorrow is another day.”_ Margaret Mitchell > > (Assume that it’s a much lesser known work than GWTW and not everybody will know who Scarlett O’Hara was.)\ > > Thanks This from the Chicago Manual of Style Q&A: > [@](#): > > Q. It is not uncommon in the literature of film studies today to have epigraphs that feature a choice bit of dialog from one of the characters in a film, and often the author of the screenplay is not given, but only the film title, character’s name, sometimes parenthetically the actor who played the part, and year of the film’s release. Similarly if one wants to quote a choice bit of dialog from fiction, say, one of Sherlock Holmes’ admonitions to Watson, does one credit Holmes and/or Conan Doyle? CMS is mute on such attributions in the context of epigraphs. > > A. You have a lot of leeway with epigraphs; for example: > > Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave > My heart into my mouth. > —Cordelia to her father, King Lear 1.1.91–92 > > King Lear can stand on its own (unless you are one of those who like to insist on an author other than Shakespeare). You might just cite King Lear 1.1.91–92 as the source; those who don’t know the play will have to read it and figure out that it’s Cordelia who speaks those lines, then ponder what it all means. The point is that you are not obligated to cite more than the barest minimum of a source in an epigraph. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-attribute-this-quote/224646/3 "2004-01-15T21:29:04Z")
IANA stylist, nor journalist, nor anyone professionally qualified to comment on this matter. But if I may, a suggestion? In contexts where it isn’t already obvious, you could use something like _“Tomorrow is another day.”_ --Scarlett O’Hara, in Margaret Mitchell’s _Gone with the Wind_ I agree that this probably isn’t necessary for the above-mentioned quote, or for Shakespeare, and you could likewise get away with less if you’re in a discussion about a particular work or author (for instance, in a Lord of the Rings thread, I might attribute a quote to simply “Gandalf”). But when in doubt, avoid ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-attribute-this-quote/224646/4 "2004-01-15T21:47:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > IANA stylist, nor journalist, nor anyone professionally qualified to comment on this matter. But if I may, a suggestion? In contexts where it isn’t already obvious, you could use something like > > _“Tomorrow is another day.”_ --Scarlett O’Hara, in Margaret Mitchell’s _Gone with the Wind_ > > I agree that this probably isn’t necessary for the above-mentioned quote, or for Shakespeare, and you could likewise get away with less if you’re in a discussion about a particular work or author (for instance, in a Lord of the Rings thread, I might attribute a quote to simply “Gandalf”). But when in doubt, avoid ambiguity. I frequently circumlocute the issue by doing part of the attribution in the introduction. As long as one is judicious in their usage, this can make things read much more smoothly. For example, As Scarlett O’Hara said, “Tomorrow is another day.” [citation to book here] Of course, this looks less epigraphic, but it can be a nice change of pace. I agree with **Chronos** that in many cases you will need to be more specific about the source of the quote.