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Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

How Do I Find The Quote I'm After?

Who said that? is the most frequently asked question relating to quotations; it is closely followed by the more general What's been said about this? Oxford Reference provides the tools for answering both queries, in a series of dictionaries compiled from our Quotation resources.

Who Said That?

• You have heard, or have remembered, a line of verse or a brief statement - sometimes, perhaps, only a couple of words. You are sure that they were said, or written, by a particular person at a particular time...but who was it, and when did they say it?

To find the answer, try one of our author-organized texts like the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. You will need a good keyword index in which to hunt for the half-remembered words; the text should be organized by author with a brief biography so that you can see what the person did and when they lived. OR, if you think you know the author, you can go directly to the entry and read through their quotations.

What's Been Said About This?

• You have to write an article or give a speech (light-hearted or serious) on a particular subject, and you would like to back up your own view with some well-chosen words from famous figures across the centuries.

For this, you need one of our thematic dictionaries in which quotations are grouped by subject - for example, Oxford Dictionary of Quotations by Subject offering a range of well-chosen words on topical issues.