Ask Us! National University Library

You can use resources inside and outside the library to locate the original author or source of a quotation. 

You may consult any of the books of quotations available within the library. A complete list is accessible by clicking here. 

You can also consult a number of reliable websites that are listed below.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations - this tenth edition of 1919 contains over 11,000 searchable quotations.

Contemporary Quotations - the site honors the work of the late Rev. James B. Simpson, author of Simpson Contemporary Quotations. Search by text, author, or category, or browse by category.

Wikiquote - a free online compendium of sourced quotations from notable people and creative works in every language. Wikiquote is a great starting point for a quotation search. Only quotes with sourced citations can be included. It also includes frequent misquotes and their possible origins.

You can also copy and paste a portion of the quotation into an internet search engine like Google, making sure to use quotation marks in order to capture results featuring the exact phrase. See the example below. As with any internet search, you want to scrutinize your results to ensure the website can be trusted and the information is reliable.