how to end your essay with a quote

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How to Conclude an Essay (with Examples)

Last Updated: May 24, 2024 Fact Checked

Writing a Strong Conclusion

What to avoid, brainstorming tricks.

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,209,997 times.

So, you’ve written an outstanding essay and couldn’t be more proud. But now you have to write the final paragraph. The conclusion simply summarizes what you’ve already written, right? Well, not exactly. Your essay’s conclusion should be a bit more finessed than that. Luckily, you’ve come to the perfect place to learn how to write a conclusion. We’ve put together this guide to fill you in on everything you should and shouldn’t do when ending an essay. Follow our advice, and you’ll have a stellar conclusion worthy of an A+ in no time.

Tips for Ending an Essay

• Rephrase your thesis to include in your final paragraph to bring the essay full circle.
• End your essay with a call to action, warning, or image to make your argument meaningful.
• Keep your conclusion concise and to the point, so you don’t lose a reader’s attention.
• Do your best to avoid adding new information to your conclusion and only emphasize points you’ve already made in your essay.

• “All in all”
• “Ultimately”
• “Furthermore”
• “As a consequence”
• “As a result”

• Make sure to write your main points in a new and unique way to avoid repetition.

• Let’s say this is your original thesis statement: “Allowing students to visit the library during lunch improves campus life and supports academic achievement.”
• Restating your thesis for your conclusion could look like this: “Evidence shows students who have access to their school’s library during lunch check out more books and are more likely to complete their homework.”
• The restated thesis has the same sentiment as the original while also summarizing other points of the essay.

• “When you use plastic water bottles, you pollute the ocean. Switch to using a glass or metal water bottle instead. The planet and sea turtles will thank you.”
• “The average person spends roughly 7 hours on their phone a day, so there’s no wonder cybersickness is plaguing all generations.”
• “Imagine walking on the beach, except the soft sand is made up of cigarette butts. They burn your feet but keep washing in with the tide. If we don’t clean up the ocean, this will be our reality.”
• “ Lost is not only a show that changed the course of television, but it’s also a reflection of humanity as a whole.”
• “If action isn’t taken to end climate change today, the global temperature will dangerously rise from 4.5 to 8 °F (−15.3 to −13.3 °C) by 2100.”

• Focus on your essay's most prevalent or important parts. What key points do you want readers to take away or remember about your essay?

• For instance, instead of writing, “That’s why I think that Abraham Lincoln was the best American President,” write, “That’s why Abraham Lincoln was the best American President.”
• There’s no room for ifs, ands, or buts—your opinion matters and doesn’t need to be apologized for!

• For instance, words like “firstly,” “secondly,” and “thirdly” may be great transition statements for body paragraphs but are unnecessary in a conclusion.

• For instance, say you began your essay with the idea that humanity’s small sense of sense stems from space’s vast size. Try returning to this idea in the conclusion by emphasizing that as human knowledge grows, space becomes smaller.

• For example, you could extend an essay on the television show Orange is the New Black by bringing up the culture of imprisonment in America.

Community Q&A

• Always review your essay after writing it for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and don’t be afraid to revise. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Have somebody else proofread your essay before turning it in. The other person will often be able to see errors you may have missed!

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/support/helps/self-help-resources/grammar/transition-signals
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/argument_papers/conclusions.html
• ↑ http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/conclude.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions
• ↑ https://www.pittsfordschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=542&dataid=4677&FileName=conclusions1.pdf
• ↑ https://www.cuyamaca.edu/student-support/tutoring-center/files/student-resources/how-to-write-a-good-conclusion.pdf
• ↑ https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.php?g=29803&p=185935

About This Article

To end an essay, start your conclusion with a phrase that makes it clear your essay is coming to a close, like "In summary," or "All things considered." Then, use a few sentences to briefly summarize the main points of your essay by rephrasing the topic sentences of your body paragraphs. Finally, end your conclusion with a call to action that encourages your readers to do something or learn more about your topic. In general, try to keep your conclusion between 5 and 7 sentences long. For more tips from our English co-author, like how to avoid common pitfalls when writing an essay conclusion, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Can You End An Essay With A Quote (What You Should Know)

by  Antony W

February 16, 2023

You’ve put in the hard work in your essay’s opening paragraph and body section, and you’re confident that the paper reads naturally.

Your hook is on point. The body paragraphs introduce your arguments , provide evidence, and give a solid summary of your ideas.

Then you face another common challenge in essay writing, one that’s just as hard to write as the rest of the sections in the essay outline. It hits you that the conclusion of the essay isn’t easy to write either.

The question is this: how do you write this part and wind up an essay you’ve spent a lot of time to complete?

In particular, can you end the essay with a quote ?

If so, how do you do it exactly? If not recommended, then what’s the right way to write the conclusion for an essay without missing the main point? 

Can You End An Essay With A Quote? 

You can end an essay with a direct quotation provided you quote it appropriately.  

However, it’s something we generally don’t recommend in academic writing.

In any case, the concluding paragraph is a section where you prove to your professor that you can eloquently provide a summary for issues discussed in the body section of the paper.

And what’s a better way to do that than with your own words?

Perhaps the biggest problem with ending an essay with a quote is that it crowds out your ideas, and therefore makes the whole concept or topic of the essay somewhat hard to understand from a reader’s perspective.

Quotes also tend to introduce a reader to new ideas, so they’re not best-fitting for the concluding paragraph. Again, you have to attribute an analyze them, something you’ll do better in the body section.

Keeping in mind that the conclusion is the part where you tie everything you’ve written together, consider ending with your own words instead of clogging up the section with a quote.

Below are a few easy ways to conclude an essay instead of using a quotation: 

What's The Best Way to End An Essay? 

A good way to think of the best conclusion for your essay is to think about the “so what?” question.

Why does your argument matter as far as the essay topic in question is concerned?

Since the conclusion is where you tie everything together into a whole, make sure that what you write in your conclusion can easily convince your readers to consider your argument.

Another way to conclude the essay the right way is to determine what your main ideas are in the argument. Then, reiterate these ideas using a different set of vocabularies and sentence structures so as to not sound redundant.

By doing so, you won’t put yourself in the position where you have to introduce new information to your readers.

Things Not to Do in an Essay’s Conclusion 

Let’s be honest:

The conclusion of an essay is just as important as other parts of the paper. Yet it’s the section that many students give the least attention.

Like the other parts, you need to make sure this section grabs your professor’s attention, the same way the opening paragraph and the body paragraphs did.

1. Don’t Introduce New Information in the Conclusion 

The last mistake you want to make in the conclusion of an essay is to introduce new information that your reader isn’t already familiar with.

Your reader easily gets distracted, as they’ve lost the meaning of the essay and mostly because you’ve left them wondering what the paper was about in the first place.

If you feel like you’ve left something important out, add it to the body paragraph so it makes up the bulk of your argument.

Doing so shows that you not only have the best organization skills but also you care about providing information in the right order to your readers.

2. Don’t Repeat The Introduction Or The Thesis Statement

Copying the central theme or the paragraph that starts an essay and pasting it in the concluding paragraph is a bad way to end an essay.

Rather than using these statements as is, you can reword them so they don’t look merely pasted.

After all, rewording the intro or the thesis statement gives you an opportunity to incorporate unique sentence structure and varied vocabularies in the essay.

3. Don’t Summarize Your Ideas 

If you’re simply reiterating your main ideas in the concluding paragraphs, you don’t stand a chance to impress your professor.

Summarizing more or less makes you repeat yourself, and this can undoubtedly make the conclusion of an essay boring to read.

Instead of dwelling too much on repeating what you’ve already highlighted throughout the essay, give a thought-provoking conclusion.

For what it’s worth, you can extend your ideas beyond what you’ve already stated in the essay and naturally answer the “so what?” question.

3. Don’t Use “In Conclusion” or “In Summary” 

These are two phrases that you must never use in the conclusion of an essay.

Think about it:

Your reader has read your essay until they’ve reached the last paragraph, and they know they’ve reached the end of your paper because they’re on the last paragraph of the page.

Using these phrases not only takes up unnecessary text space in an essay but also makes you sound repetitive.

Get Essay Writing Help from Help for Assessment 

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Maybe you have already started by have stopped halfway to take care of other urgent assignments on your desk?

Or maybe you don’t understand your instructor’s prompt and you’re struggling to find a workaround?

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About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

In a short paper—even a research paper—you don’t need to provide an exhaustive summary as part of your conclusion. But you do need to make some kind of transition between your final body paragraph and your concluding paragraph. This may come in the form of a few sentences of summary. Or it may come in the form of a sentence that brings your readers back to your thesis or main idea and reminds your readers where you began and how far you have traveled.

So, for example, in a paper about the relationship between ADHD and rejection sensitivity, Vanessa Roser begins by introducing readers to the fact that researchers have studied the relationship between the two conditions and then provides her explanation of that relationship. Here’s her thesis: “While socialization may indeed be an important factor in RS, I argue that individuals with ADHD may also possess a neurological predisposition to RS that is exacerbated by the differing executive and emotional regulation characteristic of ADHD.”

In her final paragraph, Roser reminds us of where she started by echoing her thesis: “This literature demonstrates that, as with many other conditions, ADHD and RS share a delicately intertwined pattern of neurological similarities that is rooted in the innate biology of an individual’s mind, a connection that cannot be explained in full by the behavioral mediation hypothesis.”  

Highlight the “so what”  

At the beginning of your paper, you explain to your readers what’s at stake—why they should care about the argument you’re making. In your conclusion, you can bring readers back to those stakes by reminding them why your argument is important in the first place. You can also draft a few sentences that put those stakes into a new or broader context.

In the conclusion to her paper about ADHD and RS, Roser echoes the stakes she established in her introduction—that research into connections between ADHD and RS has led to contradictory results, raising questions about the “behavioral mediation hypothesis.”

She writes, “as with many other conditions, ADHD and RS share a delicately intertwined pattern of neurological similarities that is rooted in the innate biology of an individual’s mind, a connection that cannot be explained in full by the behavioral mediation hypothesis.”  

Leave your readers with the “now what”  

After the “what” and the “so what,” you should leave your reader with some final thoughts. If you have written a strong introduction, your readers will know why you have been arguing what you have been arguing—and why they should care. And if you’ve made a good case for your thesis, then your readers should be in a position to see things in a new way, understand new questions, or be ready for something that they weren’t ready for before they read your paper.

In her conclusion, Roser offers two “now what” statements. First, she explains that it is important to recognize that the flawed behavioral mediation hypothesis “seems to place a degree of fault on the individual. It implies that individuals with ADHD must have elicited such frequent or intense rejection by virtue of their inadequate social skills, erasing the possibility that they may simply possess a natural sensitivity to emotion.” She then highlights the broader implications for treatment of people with ADHD, noting that recognizing the actual connection between rejection sensitivity and ADHD “has profound implications for understanding how individuals with ADHD might best be treated in educational settings, by counselors, family, peers, or even society as a whole.”

To find your own “now what” for your essay’s conclusion, try asking yourself these questions:

• What can my readers now understand, see in a new light, or grapple with that they would not have understood in the same way before reading my paper? Are we a step closer to understanding a larger phenomenon or to understanding why what was at stake is so important?  
• What questions can I now raise that would not have made sense at the beginning of my paper? Questions for further research? Other ways that this topic could be approached?  
• Are there other applications for my research? Could my questions be asked about different data in a different context? Could I use my methods to answer a different question?  
• What action should be taken in light of this argument? What action do I predict will be taken or could lead to a solution?  
• What larger context might my argument be a part of?  

What to avoid in your conclusion  

• a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper.  
• a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion.  
• an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not discussed in your paper.  
• fake transitions like “in conclusion” that are followed by sentences that aren’t actually conclusions. (“In conclusion, I have now demonstrated that my thesis is correct.”)
• picture_as_pdf Conclusions

Writing Studio

Quotation basics: grammar, punctuation, and style, some general quotation guidelines.

In an effort to make our handouts more accessible, we have begun converting our PDF handouts to web pages. Download this page as a PDF: Quotation Grammar, Punctuation, and Style Return to Writing Studio Handouts

When writing a formal essay, you will often need to use quotes from a text or texts as evidence to prove your point or to make an argument. Below are grammar and punctuation guidelines to help you integrate those quotes into your essay successfully.

We recommend consulting a style manual or your instructor for specific queries.

Periods and Commas

• You do not need to use any punctuation before a quotation if it forms part of your own sentence.

Example: Dennis cries that he is “being repressed!”

• Use a comma when introducing a quote with a phrase such as ‘he said.’

Example: The old man protests, “I don’t want to go on the cart.”

• Place parenthetical citations outside the end quotation mark, but before the punctuation.

Example: King Arthur declares, “Let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place” (13).

Colons and Ellipses

• Use a colon when introducing a quotation with a full independent clause (one that can stand on its own).

Example: Emily feels frustrated by his response: “Is there someone else that we can talk to?”

• Use an ellipsis (three periods, sometimes with spaces between: ‘…’ ) to indicate an omission in a quotation (Exception: it is not necessary to use an ellipsis when omitting words at the beginning of a quote unless you are using a block quote format).

Example: “The kind of intelligence a genius has … leaps with ellipses.”

• When you want to omit one or more full sentences, use a period and a space before the three ellipsis dots.

Example: “Hatred paralyzes life. … Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

Slashes and Brackets

• When you are quoting poetry, use a slash ( / ) to mark a line break.

Example: “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments” (1-2).

• Use square brackets to add a word, change a pronoun, or change a verb tense in the quote.

Original quote: “It’s my duty as a knight to sample all the peril I can.”

In your essay: Sir Galahad thinks “it’s [his] duty as a knight to sample all the peril [he] can.”

Question Marks and Exclamation Points

• With a question mark or exclamation point, there is no need to use a comma or a period.

Example: The interested observer wonders, “Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?”

• If the mark is part of your sentence and not part of the quote, it goes outside the last quotation mark.

Example: I don’t think we can ever understand the “ineluctable modality of the visual”!

Block Quotes

• MLA style calls for use of a block quote (indent 10 spaces, or 2 tabs) when citing five or more lines of typed prose or four or more lines of verse. APA style calls for block quotes when citing forty words or more.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate. / Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. (1-4)

Quote Within a Quote

• When using a quote within a quote, single quotation marks are used for the inner quote.

Example: Josh laments, “Every time I try to talk to someone it’s ‘sorry this’ and ‘forgive me that.’”

Last revised: 08/2008 | Adapted for web delivery: 05/2021

In order to access certain content on this page, you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader or an equivalent PDF viewer software.

Conclusions

What this handout is about.

This handout will explain the functions of conclusions, offer strategies for writing effective ones, help you evaluate conclusions you’ve drafted, and suggest approaches to avoid.

About conclusions

Introductions and conclusions can be difficult to write, but they’re worth investing time in. They can have a significant influence on a reader’s experience of your paper.

Just as your introduction acts as a bridge that transports your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your analysis, your conclusion can provide a bridge to help your readers make the transition back to their daily lives. Such a conclusion will help them see why all your analysis and information should matter to them after they put the paper down.

Your conclusion is your chance to have the last word on the subject. The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper, to synthesize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject. It is also your opportunity to make a good final impression and to end on a positive note.

Your conclusion can go beyond the confines of the assignment. The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the prompt and allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections, and elaborate on the significance of your findings.

Your conclusion should make your readers glad they read your paper. Your conclusion gives your reader something to take away that will help them see things differently or appreciate your topic in personally relevant ways. It can suggest broader implications that will not only interest your reader, but also enrich your reader’s life in some way. It is your gift to the reader.

Strategies for writing an effective conclusion

One or more of the following strategies may help you write an effective conclusion:

• Play the “So What” Game. If you’re stuck and feel like your conclusion isn’t saying anything new or interesting, ask a friend to read it with you. Whenever you make a statement from your conclusion, ask the friend to say, “So what?” or “Why should anybody care?” Then ponder that question and answer it. Here’s how it might go: You: Basically, I’m just saying that education was important to Douglass. Friend: So what? You: Well, it was important because it was a key to him feeling like a free and equal citizen. Friend: Why should anybody care? You: That’s important because plantation owners tried to keep slaves from being educated so that they could maintain control. When Douglass obtained an education, he undermined that control personally. You can also use this strategy on your own, asking yourself “So What?” as you develop your ideas or your draft.
• Return to the theme or themes in the introduction. This strategy brings the reader full circle. For example, if you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay is helpful in creating a new understanding. You may also refer to the introductory paragraph by using key words or parallel concepts and images that you also used in the introduction.
• Synthesize, don’t summarize. Include a brief summary of the paper’s main points, but don’t simply repeat things that were in your paper. Instead, show your reader how the points you made and the support and examples you used fit together. Pull it all together.
• Include a provocative insight or quotation from the research or reading you did for your paper.
• Propose a course of action, a solution to an issue, or questions for further study. This can redirect your reader’s thought process and help them to apply your info and ideas to their own life or to see the broader implications.
• Point to broader implications. For example, if your paper examines the Greensboro sit-ins or another event in the Civil Rights Movement, you could point out its impact on the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. A paper about the style of writer Virginia Woolf could point to her influence on other writers or on later feminists.

Strategies to avoid

• Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as “in conclusion,” “in summary,” or “in closing.” Although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as wooden and trite in writing.
• Stating the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion.
• Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your conclusion.
• Ending with a rephrased thesis statement without any substantive changes.
• Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the rest of an analytical paper.
• Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of the paper.

Four kinds of ineffective conclusions

• The “That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It” Conclusion. This conclusion just restates the thesis and is usually painfully short. It does not push the ideas forward. People write this kind of conclusion when they can’t think of anything else to say. Example: In conclusion, Frederick Douglass was, as we have seen, a pioneer in American education, proving that education was a major force for social change with regard to slavery.
• The “Sherlock Holmes” Conclusion. Sometimes writers will state the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion. You might be tempted to use this strategy if you don’t want to give everything away too early in your paper. You may think it would be more dramatic to keep the reader in the dark until the end and then “wow” them with your main idea, as in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The reader, however, does not expect a mystery, but an analytical discussion of your topic in an academic style, with the main argument (thesis) stated up front. Example: (After a paper that lists numerous incidents from the book but never says what these incidents reveal about Douglass and his views on education): So, as the evidence above demonstrates, Douglass saw education as a way to undermine the slaveholders’ power and also an important step toward freedom.
• The “America the Beautiful”/”I Am Woman”/”We Shall Overcome” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion usually draws on emotion to make its appeal, but while this emotion and even sentimentality may be very heartfelt, it is usually out of character with the rest of an analytical paper. A more sophisticated commentary, rather than emotional praise, would be a more fitting tribute to the topic. Example: Because of the efforts of fine Americans like Frederick Douglass, countless others have seen the shining beacon of light that is education. His example was a torch that lit the way for others. Frederick Douglass was truly an American hero.
• The “Grab Bag” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion includes extra information that the writer found or thought of but couldn’t integrate into the main paper. You may find it hard to leave out details that you discovered after hours of research and thought, but adding random facts and bits of evidence at the end of an otherwise-well-organized essay can just create confusion. Example: In addition to being an educational pioneer, Frederick Douglass provides an interesting case study for masculinity in the American South. He also offers historians an interesting glimpse into slave resistance when he confronts Covey, the overseer. His relationships with female relatives reveal the importance of family in the slave community.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Douglass, Frederick. 1995. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. New York: Dover.

Hamilton College. n.d. “Conclusions.” Writing Center. Accessed June 14, 2019. https://www.hamilton.edu//academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/conclusions .

Holewa, Randa. 2004. “Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. Last updated February 19, 2004. https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Using Quotations

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How much should I quote?

The focus of your essay should be on your understanding of the topic. If you include too much quotation in your essay, you will crowd out your own ideas. Consider quoting a passage from one of your sources if any of the following conditions holds:

• The language of the passage is particularly elegant or powerful or memorable.
• You wish to confirm the credibility of your argument by enlisting the support of an authority on your topic.
• The passage is worthy of further analysis.
• You wish to argue with someone else’s position in considerable detail.

Condition 3 is especially useful in essays for literature courses.

If an argument or a factual account from one of your sources is particularly relevant to your paper but does not deserve to be quoted verbatim, consider

• paraphrasing the passage if you wish to convey the points in the passage at roughly the same level of detail as in the original
• summarizing the relevant passage if you wish to sketch only the most essential points in the passage

Note that most scientific writing relies on summary rather than quotation. The same is true of writing in those social sciences—such as experimental psychology—that rely on controlled studies and emphasize quantifiable results. (Almost all of the examples in this handout follow the MLA system of citation, which is widely used in the humanities and in those social sciences with a less quantitative approach.)

Visit our handout on paraphrase and summary .

Why is it important to identify my sources?

Quotations come from somewhere, and your reader will want to know where. Don’t just parachute quotations into your essay without providing at least some indication of who your source is. Letting your reader know exactly which authorities you rely on is an advantage: it shows that you have done your research and that you are well acquainted with the literature on your topic.

In the following passage, the parenthetical reference to the author does not adequately identify the source:

The ancient Greeks never saw a need to justify wars that were waged outside the walls of the city state. “Hence we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war, together with the first notion that there are just and unjust wars” (Arendt 12). Yet the Roman conception of a just war differs sharply from more modern conceptions.

When you are making decisions about how to integrate quotations into your essay, you might imagine that you are reading the essay out loud to an audience. You would not read the parenthetical note. Without some sort of introduction, your audience would not even know that the statement about Roman antiquity was a quotation, let alone where the quotation came from.

How do I introduce a short quotation?

The following offers just one way of introducing the above quotation:

The ancient Greeks never saw a need to justify wars that were waged outside the walls of the city state. As Hannah Arendt points out in On Revolution , “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war, together with the first notion that there are just and unjust wars” (12). Yet the Roman conception of a just war differs sharply from more modern conceptions.

Since the quotation is relatively short, the brief introduction works.

You could, however, strengthen your analysis by demonstrating the significance of the passage within your own argument. Introducing your quotation with a full sentence would help you assert greater control over the material:

The ancient Greeks never saw a need to justify wars that were waged outside the walls of the city state. In On Revolution , Hannah Arendt points to the role the Romans played in laying the foundation for later thinking about the ethics of waging war: “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war, together with the first notion that there are just and unjust wars” (12). Yet the Roman conception of a just war differs sharply from more modern conceptions.

In these two examples, observe the forms of punctuation used to introduce the quotations. When you introduce a quotation with a full sentence, you should always place a colon at the end of the introductory sentence. When you introduce a quotation with an incomplete sentence, you usually place a comma after the introductory phrase. However, it has become grammatically acceptable to use a colon rather than a comma:

Arendt writes: “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war . . .”

If you are blending the quotation into your own sentence using the conjuction that , do not use any punctuation at all:

Arendt writes that “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war . . .”

If you are not sure whether to punctuate your introduction to a quotation, mentally remove the quotation marks, and ask yourself whether any punctuation is still required.

Finally, note that you can deviate from the common pattern of introduction followed by quotation. Weaving the phrases of others into your own prose offers a stylistically compelling way of maintaining control over your source material. Moreover, the technique of weaving can help you to produce a tighter argument. The following condenses twelve lines from Arendt’s essay to fewer than two:

What Arendt refers to as the “well-known realities of power politics” began to lose their moral legitimacy when the First World War unleashed “the horribly destructive” forces of warfare “under conditions of modern technology” (13).

What verbs and phrases can I use to introduce my quotations?

Familiarize yourself with the various verbs commonly used to introduce quotations. Here is a partial list:

argues writes points out concludes comments notes maintains suggests insists observes counters asserts states claims demonstrates says explains reveals

Each verb has its own nuance. Make sure that the nuance matches your specific aims in introducing the quotation.

There are other ways to begin quotations. Here are three common phrasings:

In the words of X , . . .

According to X , . . .

In X ‘s view, . . .

Vary the way you introduce quotations to avoid sounding monotonous. But never sacrifice precision of phrasing for the sake of variety.

Visit the U of T Writing Website’s page on verbs for referring to sources .

How do I introduce a long quotation?

If your quotation is lengthy, you should almost always introduce it with a full sentence that helps capture how it fits into your argument. If your quotation is longer than four lines, do not place it in quotation marks. Instead, set it off as a block quotation :

Although Dickens never shied away from the political controversies of his time, he never, in Orwell’s view, identified himself with any political program:

The truth is that Dickens’ criticism of society is almost exclusively moral. Hence his lack of any constructive suggestion anywhere in his work. He attacks the law, parliamentary government, the educational system and so forth, without ever clearly suggesting what he would put in their places. Of course it is not necessarily the business of a novelist, or a satirist, to make constructive suggestions, but the point is that Dickens’ attitude is at bottom not even destructive. . . . For in reality his target is not so much society as human nature. (416)

The full-sentence introduction to a block quotation helps demonstrate your grasp of the source material, and it adds analytical depth to your essay. But the introduction alone is not enough. Long quotations almost invariably need to be followed by extended analysis. Never allow the quotation to do your work for you. Usually you will want to keep the quotation and your analysis together in the same paragraph. Hence it is a good idea to avoid ending a paragraph with a quotation. But if your analysis is lengthy, you may want to break it into several paragraphs, beginning afresh after the quotation.

Once in a while you can reverse the pattern of quotation followed by analysis. A felicitously worded or an authoritative quotation can, on occasion, nicely clinch an argument.

There is some flexibility in the rule that block quotations are for passages of four lines or more: a shorter passage can be represented as a block quotation if it is important enough to stand on its own. For example, when you are quoting two or more lines of poetry , you will probably want to display the verse as it appears on the page:

In the opening heroic couplet of The Rape of the Lock , Pope establishes the unheroic nature of the poem’s subject matter:

What dire offense from amorous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things. (1-2)

If you choose to integrate verse into your own sentence, then use a slash surrounded by spaces to indicate line breaks:

In Eliot’s The Waste Land , the symbols of a mythic past lie buried in “A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, / And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief” (22-23).

How do I let my reader know I’ve altered my sources?

If you need to alter your quotations in any way, be sure to indicate just how you have done so. If you remove text, then replace the missing text with an ellipsis —three periods surrounded by spaces:

In The Mirror and the Lamp , Abrams comments that the “diversity of aesthetic theories . . . makes the task of the historian a very difficult one” (5).

If the omitted text occurs between sentences, then put a space after the period at the end of sentence, and follow that by an ellipsis. In all, there will be four periods. (See Orwell on Dickens, above.)

Many people overuse ellipses at the beginning and end of quotations. Use an ellipsis in either place only when your reader might otherwise mistake an incomplete sentence for a complete one:

Abraham Lincoln begins “The Gettysburg Address” with a reminder of the act upon which the United States was founded: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation . . .” (1).

Do not use an ellipsis if you are merely borrowing a phrase from the original:

In “The Gettysburg Address” Abraham Lincoln reminds his listeners of the principles that had inspired the creation of “a new nation” (1).

If you need to alter or replace text from the original, enclose the added text within square brackets . You may, for example, need to alter text to ensure that pronouns agree with their antecedents. Do not write,

Gertrude asks her son Hamlet to “cast your nighted colour off” (1.2.68).

Square brackets allow you to absorb Gertrude’s words into your own statement:

Gertrude asks her son Hamlet to “cast [his] nighted colour off” (1.2.68).

Alternatively, you can include Gertrude’s original phrasing in its entirety as long as the introduction to the quotation is not fully integrated with the quotation. The introduction can be an independent clause:

Gertrude implores her son Hamlet to stop mourning the death of his father: “cast your nighted colour off” (I.ii.68).

Or it can be an incomplete sentence:

Gertrude implores her son Hamlet, “cast your nighted colour off” (1.2.68).

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A strong conclusion is just as important as any other essay component, as it’s the last part of the essay that leaves a lasting impression on your reader. Or doesn’t. A well-crafted conclusion does. It ties together your essay’s main points, demonstrates the significance and relevance of your arguments, and leaves the reader with a memorable closing thought. This guide will provide you with tips and tricks on what to do and what to avoid while writing effective essay conclusions.

The Purposes of A Conclusion

The conclusion of an essay has several goals, all of which contribute to the overall quality and success of your work. Although it may look similar to a summary of the essay, it actually is an important component that strengthens your argument and brings closure to your discussion. Understanding the following objectives of a conclusion will help you write one that improves your essay and intensifies its impact. Here are the main goals of a conclusion:

Connect the essay’s main points

A conclusion should briefly tie together the main points of your essay, reminding the reader of the key arguments presented. This helps your professor or other audience get a clear understanding of your main ideas and arguments and how they connect. Summarizing the main points, you reinforce your argument and provide a logical end to your paper.

Prove the Significance and Relevance of Your Arguments

Your conclusion should emphasize why your arguments matter, highlighting their importance and relevance. Summarizing your points isn’t enough for a well-written conclusion. There also should be an explanation of their broader impacts or implications. Demonstrating significance helps the reader understand the value of your argument and why it is worth considering. It also shows the relevance of your points to the overall topic or issue.

Leave the Reader with a Lasting Impression

The final sentences of your conclusion should leave a strong, lasting impression, encouraging the reader to dedicate more time and think deeper about the topic. This can be achieved by ending with a thought-provoking statement, a call to action, or a quote that highlights your main argument. An impactful closing makes your essay memorable and distinguishes it from others.

How to End an Essay

To effectively end your essay, you need to consider all the features that a successful conclusion should have and make sure to present them accurately and in the proper sequence. Only in this way will you not lose but rather deepen your impact and connection with your reader.

Restate your thesis: Begin your conclusion by restating your thesis in a new way. This backs your main argument without simply repeating it directly or paraphrasing what’s already been said in the body paragraphs. Restating the thesis helps remind the reader of your central argument and shows how the evidence and analysis in the body of the essay support this thesis. By rephrasing it, you provide a fresh perspective on your main point, reinforcing its importance.

Summary of synthesis: Summarize the main points of your writing, synthesizing the information instead of repeating it. Highlight how the evidence you presented supports your thesis. Synthesis involves combining the key points and evidence to show how they interrelate and support your overall argument. 

Provide context: Add context to your conclusion by discussing the broader essence of your argument. Explain how your essay contributes to a larger conversation or addresses an important issue. Providing context helps the reader understand the significance of your argument in a wider scope. It can also involve suggesting areas for further research or highlighting the relevance of your points to real-world situations.

How to Conclude an Essay: Things to Avoid

At the same time, keep in mind that while you’re trying to write the perfect conclusion, you may accidentally make meaningful mistakes and add things that should not be there. Look at the common pitfalls and try to avoid the following mistakes:

Avoid Introducing New Information. Your conclusion is not the place to introduce new arguments or evidence. Stick to summarizing and synthesizing what has already been discussed. Introducing new information can confuse the reader and distract from the main points of your essay. It is important to keep the conclusion focused on wrapping up your argument and reinforcing what has already been said.

Avoid Overly Emotional Statements. While it’s important to leave an impression, avoid using overly emotional language or making sweeping statements that aren’t backed by anything. Emotional language can undermine the credibility of your argument and distract from your main points. Stick to logical and reasoned statements in your essay.

Avoid Repetition. Don’t repeat your introduction or body paragraphs. Instead, rephrase your key points and present them in a fresh way. Repetition can make your conclusion feel redundant and uninspired. By rephrasing your points, you can strengthen your argument in a more engaging way, keeping the reader interested until the very end.

What is a good way to end an essay?

A good way to end an essay is to restate your thesis in a new light, summarize the main points you’ve made, and provide a final thought or call to action that leaves an impression on the reader. You might use a quote, a question that encourages further thinking, or a call to action that emphasizes the relevance of your topic. The goal is to tie everything together and reinforce the significance of your argument.

How to end a conclusion?

To end a conclusion effectively, summarize the main points of your essay and restate your thesis in a rephrased manner. Follow this with a closing thought that underscores the importance of your discussion. This can be a final insight, a broader perspective of your argument, or a suggestion for future research or actions. The final sentence should leave a memorable impression and provide a sense of closure.

What is a good concluding word for an essay?

There are phrases that signal to the reader that you are wrapping up your discussion. Good concluding words or phrases for an essay include:

• In conclusion
• In the final analysis
• All things considered
• To conclude

How to conclude a paragraph?

To conclude a paragraph, you should summarize the main idea discussed in the paragraph and show how it supports your overall thesis. Use a closing sentence that ties the paragraph’s content back to your main argument. This could involve restating the key point of the paragraph in a concise manner or linking it to the next paragraph for a smooth transition.

How do you use closing sentences in an essay?

Closing sentences in an essay reinforce the main points discussed in each paragraph or section and help transition to the next idea. In the body paragraphs, use closing sentences to succinctly summarize the paragraph’s key point and link it to your thesis. In the conclusion, use a closing sentence to leave an impression, emphasize the significance of your arguments, and provide closure to your essay. Effective closing sentences are clear, concise, and relevant to the main argument.

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Ending Your Essay With a Strong Conclusion

By Cite This For Me

Conclusions aren’t easy—but they’re very important. And contrary to popular belief, they’re not simply a place to restate what you’ve said before in the same way. They’re an opportunity to cast all the arguments you’ve made in a new light.

Conclusions give you a chance to summarize and organize your main points, reminding the reader how effectively you’ve proven your thesis. It’s also your final opportunity to make a lasting impression on your reader.

Simple conclusion formula

• Proper, relevant restatement of thesis statement and strongest evidence

Relevant final thought

As an example, let’s create a conclusion following our two-step process.

Let’s say your thesis statement is:

College athletes should not be paid because many receive compensation in the form of scholarships and benefit from more visibility to potential professional recruiters.

Now we’ll follow our formula to write an effective conclusion.

Restatement of thesis and strongest evidence

The first step in writing our conclusion is to restate the thesis statement.

It’s important not to simply copy your thesis statement word for word. You can also briefly include evidence or other points that were mentioned in your paper .

You could write something like:

College athletes don’t need financial compensation because they receive numerous benefits including scholarships, additional experience and coaching, and exposure to professional teams.

This sentence reminds the reader of our original thesis statement without copying it exactly.

At this point, you could also synthesize 1-2 of the strongest pieces of supporting evidence already mentioned in your essay, such as:

With four years of tuition costing up to hundreds of thousands and salaries in potential professional sports careers averaging millions, these benefits already amount to significant compensation.

Notice that we didn’t start with a transition like, “In conclusion,” or, “In summary.” These transitions aren’t necessary and are often overused.

You want to end your conclusion with a strong final thought. It should provide your reader with closure and give your essay a memorable or thought-provoking ending.

The last sentence of your conclusion can point to broader implications, like the impact the topic of your essay has had on history, society, or culture.

Another good rule of thumb is to allow your final sentence to answer the question, “So what?” Your reader has spent time reading your paper, but why does any of this matter? Why should your reader—or anyone else—care?

For our sample conclusion, for example, you could write:

Providing still more compensation to college athletes would send the message that they are employees, not students. If we don’t want education to be sidelined, college athletes should not be paid.

This concluding sentence answers the, “So what?” question by explaining the potential repercussions of paying college athletes. It gives the reader a reason to be more invested in your essay and ideas.

Some of the most powerful words in your paper may have been written or said by someone else. Selecting a quote from a well known public figure or an expert in the field of your topic allows you to finish strong with a credible source.

Example quote ending:

“The case for recycling is strong. The bottom line is clear. Recycling requires a trivial amount of our time. Recycling saves money and reduces pollution. Recycling creates more jobs than landfilling or incineration. And a largely ignored but very important consideration, recycling reduces our need to dump our garbage in someone else’s backyard.” – David Morris, co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance

If you have a bibliography, add a citation for your quote source. It doesn’t matter if it is in MLA format or another style, it’s a good practice to always create citations for information you’ve used.

Ending your paper with a smart and relevant question allows your readers to think for themselves and make your topic their own. The best type of question leads your reader to the same conclusion you have presented in your paper.

Example question ending:

Recycling reduces pollution, saves energy and makes us feel good about ourselves; why wouldn’t we make it a part of our everyday lives?

Call to Action

Most popular in advertising, a call to action asks your reader to execute a specific task after reading your paper. A call to action can contain phrases like: Think about it, See for yourself, Consider, Try, or Remember.

Example call to action ending:

Now that you have read about the benefits of recycling, consider the awesome impact it could have on your local community.

Prediction statements often begin with the words “when” or “if.” In this type of ending, the writer makes an educated guess based on the factual information presented in the paper.

Example prediction ending:

If recycling is adopted by all major cities, we can expect its benefits to spread to smaller cities and towns. That means a significant reduction in landfill use, less pollution and more job creation across the entire country.  

A perspective change can help you end your paper in a way that is creative and interesting. One method is to zoom out and present your subject in a greater context. This ending allows you to take your reader beyond the specifics and provide a more global understanding of your topic. When working with this type of ending, be sure that your statement remains on subject and does not present entirely new information.    

Example zoom out ending:

Recycling is more than a solution for waste management. Treating our environment with respect and protecting our natural resources will benefit our society for generations to come.

Putting it all together

The conclusion reads:

College athletes don’t need financial compensation because they receive numerous benefits including scholarships, additional experience and coaching, and exposure to professional teams. With four years of tuition costing up to hundreds of thousands and salaries in potential professional sports careers averaging millions, these benefits already amount to significant compensation. Providing still more compensation to college athletes would send the message that they are employees, not students. If we don’t want education to be sidelined, college athletes should not be paid.

To create effective conclusions of your own, remember to follow these guidelines :

• Don’t feel the need to start with overused transitions such as, “In conclusion,” or, “In summary.”
• Restate your thesis statement in a new way.
• You can also restate 1-2 of your strongest pieces of supporting evidence.
• Don’t mention anything in your conclusion that wasn’t mentioned in the body of your essay.
• End with a strong final thought, preferably one that answers the question, “So what?”

By following these simple steps, you’ll craft a conclusion that leaves a powerful final impression on your readers.

When you mention or quote evidence from other sources, be sure to cite them. There are helpful resources at CiteThisForMe.com such as a Harvard referencing tool , an MLA formatting guide, an APA citation generator , and more!

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5 Examples of Concluding Words for Essays

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• 19th September 2022

If you’re a student writing an essay or research paper, it’s important to make sure your points flow together well. You’ll want to use connecting words (known formally as transition signals) to do this. Transition signals like thus , also , and furthermore link different ideas, and when you get to the end of your work, you need to use these to mark your conclusion. Read on to learn more about transition signals and how to use them to conclude your essays.

Transition Signals

Transition signals link sentences together cohesively, enabling easy reading and comprehension. They are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence and separated from the remaining words with a comma. There are several types of transition signals, including those to:

●  show the order of a sequence of events (e.g., first, then, next)

●  introduce an example (e.g., specifically, for instance)

●  indicate a contrasting idea (e.g., but, however, although)

●  present an additional idea (e.g., also, in addition, plus)

●  indicate time (e.g., beforehand, meanwhile, later)

●  compare (e.g., likewise, similarly)

●  show cause and effect (e.g., thus, as a result)

●  mark the conclusion – which we’ll focus on in this guide.

When you reach the end of an essay, you should start the concluding paragraph with a transition signal that acts as a bridge to the summary of your key points. Check out some concluding transition signals below and learn how you can use them in your writing.

To Conclude…

This is a particularly versatile closing statement that can be used for almost any kind of essay, including both formal and informal academic writing. It signals to the reader that you will briefly restate the main idea. As an alternative, you can begin the summary with “to close” or “in conclusion.” In an argumentative piece, you can use this phrase to indicate a call to action or opinion:

To conclude, Abraham Lincoln was the best president because he abolished slavery.

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As Has Been Demonstrated…

To describe how the evidence presented in your essay supports your argument or main idea, begin the concluding paragraph with “as has been demonstrated.” This phrase is best used for research papers or articles with heavy empirical or statistical evidence.

As has been demonstrated by the study presented above, human activities are negatively altering the climate system.

The Above Points Illustrate…

As another transitional phrase for formal or academic work, “the above points illustrate” indicates that you are reiterating your argument and that the conclusion will include an assessment of the evidence you’ve presented.

The above points illustrate that children prefer chocolate over broccoli.

In a Nutshell…

A simple and informal metaphor to begin a conclusion, “in a nutshell” prepares the reader for a summary of your paper. It can work in narratives and speeches but should be avoided in formal situations.

In a nutshell, the Beatles had an impact on musicians for generations to come.

Overall, It Can Be Said…

To recap an idea at the end of a critical or descriptive essay, you can use this phrase at the beginning of the concluding paragraph. “Overall” means “taking everything into account,” and it sums up your essay in a formal way. You can use “overall” on its own as a transition signal, or you can use it as part of a phrase.

Overall, it can be said that art has had a positive impact on humanity.

Proofreading and Editing

Transition signals are crucial to crafting a well-written and cohesive essay. For your next writing assignment, make sure you include plenty of transition signals, and check out this post for more tips on how to improve your writing. And before you turn in your paper, don’t forget to have someone proofread your work. Our expert editors will make sure your essay includes all the transition signals necessary for your writing to flow seamlessly. Send in a free 500-word sample today!

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Quote integration

Quote integration is arguably one of the most difficult parts of essay writing; however, it does not need to be. Here are some tips to make quote integration easier. 

First things first, the most basic way to integrate quotes into any piece of writing is with the following format

Signal phrase + Quote + Citations

• Signal phrase: A short phrase or verb that indicates to the reader that you are going to introduce a quote.
• Quote: Short quotes are less than four lines and can be integrated into the actual body of your essay. Quotes over four lines typically should be formatted as block quotes (based on the citation style you are using).
• Citations in MLA 8th edition
• Citations in APA 7 th
• Citations in Chicago
• Citations in AMA  

The following example follows the pattern of signal phrase , quote, and citation (in MLA style)

• Exercise has many benefits for not only an individual’s present health but in the long term as well : “exercise is known to reduce a number of inflammatory markers…which are linked to a number of diseases” (Walton 1).

Another way to introduce a quote into a source is to use the author’s name as your signal phrase with a subsequent verb that is used to introduce the quote. For citation styles such as MLA or APA, when you start with the author’s name to introduce the source, the end of text citation only needs to have the page number/year.

• Alice Walton writes that “exercise is one of the best-illustrated things we can do for our hearts, and this includes markers like blood pressure and cholesterol, in addition to the physical structure of the heart itself, and blood vessel function” (3).

Verbs to use to signal the beginning of a quotation

• Demonstrates
• Illustrates

Other methods to integrate a quote into a sentence

Introduce a quotation and have subsequent sentences that expand on the relevance.

• This is the best way to integrate quotes into a paper. It is crucial that anytime you use from an outside source, you  explain the relevance of the quote to the rest of your paper .
• Dr. Carrie Fisher details some of the most pressing ethical concerns that arise in the field of public health: “the primary ethical concern of public health officials is creating a balance between the common good and the right of the individual, when we undermine autonomy we create distrust among the general public, destabilizing the governing principles of public health” (2). Dr. Fisher’s concerns surrounding the field of public health echoes the main dilemma that has plagued the field since its conception. Her argument that undermining autonomy betrays public trust demonstrates that as public health officials it is crucial to understand that if individual autonomy is restricted, it can only be in the direst of circumstances.

Make the quotation part of a complete sentence

• Current research indicates that exercise is beneficial for long-term health as it “can help control blood lipid abnormalities, diabetes, and obesity” (Fletcher et al., 1996).

Utilize brackets and ellipses to help improve clarity of a sentence

Brackets are used to add words to improve understanding. Ellipses are used to remove words to shorten a phrase.

• According to physical therapist Dr. Smith, developing a consistent and sustainable workout foundation is the key to long term success: “[Workout programs] must be enjoyable, you cannot expect an individual to adhere to a regimen where they dread each day they must go. I recommend that individuals find a workout routine that both challenges them but also excites them, where it does not feel like a chore to workout” (2).

Here is an example sentence that utilizes all of these tactics to integrate a quote into a sentence

• In the field of medicine, exercise recommendations remain hotly contested, “although a consensus is growing on the importance of the relation between physical activity and health and wellness, the specific dose of physical activity necessary for good health remains unclear… some of the inconsistency among physical activity recommendations is due simply to the inherent uncertainties of biomedical science” (Blair 2). It is crucial that the differing ideologies be addressed as they have the potential to impact the dissemination of information to the general public. The average American already struggles to meet the weekly exercise recommendations and conflicting information regarding these recommendations will only further exacerbate the issue.

Paraphrasing

• You may be thinking “isn’t this supposed to be about integrating quotes into an essay?” You are correct; however, there are many times (and citation styles) where it is best to paraphrase a source instead of integrating a whole quote into the paper. Quote integration is crucial when the exact wording of the primary source is critical to the point being made, whereas paraphrasing is sufficient when restating the general idea is all that is required. 
• Despite continual recommendations put forth by the CDC regarding exercise and physical activity “80% of the population is not meeting the guidelines. Each year in the US, an estimated 10% of premature deaths and $117 billion in healthcare costs are associated with inadequate physical activity” (Smith, 2017).

Paraphrased 

• The CDC estimates that 80% of the United States population is not adhering to the guidelines regarding weekly physical activity recommendations (Smith 3). Inactive adults cost the U.S health care system an estimated $117 billion per year; estimates suggest 10% of premature deaths are due to inactivity (Smith, 2017).

*Remember that when paraphrasing a quote from a source an in-text citation is still included.

Common mistakes to avoid

Drop quotes.

This is when you “drop” a quote into your essay without any form of introduction; the most common mistake is making the quote its own sentence.

This is what you don’t want to do

• There are numerous health benefits to working out. “Adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. Some physical activity is better than none. Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity gain some health benefits” (CDC).

A better way to approach this is

• There are numerous health benefits to working. According to the CDC, “adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. Some physical activity is better than none. Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity gain some health benefits” (2019).

Not using brackets

Using brackets when integrating a quote actually helps improve clarity while writing. Otherwise, if you integrate a quote directly without adjusting it through the use of brackets, the sentence can be confusing to readers.

• Dr. Smith, talks to patients candidly about the importance of physical activity while they are young, “it is important that you start working out when you are younger as it helps you build up bone density, which can decrease the risk of developing arthritis as you get older” (Horton 3).
• Dr. Smith talks to patients candidly about the importance of physical activity while they are young: “it is important that [individuals] start working out when [they] are younger as it helps [them] build up bone density, which can decrease the risk of developing arthritis as they get older” (Horton 3).

How to End a College Essay: 10 Tactics & Strategies

How you end your college application essay can have an important impact on how your reader experiences your essay: while we’ve seen essays that are really solid even without an incredible ending (meaning: please don’t panic and add stress to an already stressful process), we’ve also seen college essays whose endings took the essay up another level.

And we think that there are clear techniques and strategies that virtually any writer can use to uplevel the conclusion section of their college application essay.

So below, we’ll offer 10 specific approaches to endings—split into 5 that you can do with little to no planning and 5 that require some planning ahead and/or rewriting—that you can use to strengthen your personal statement.

In this post, We'll cover:

How to think about college essay endings, 3 college essay endings to avoid.

• The Two Essential Qualities of An Outstanding Ending
• 10 tactics, strategies, and techniques for making your ending stand out

A. Tactics (small changes that requires less planning ahead)

• 1. Connect to your values
• 2. The bookend or callback
• 3. The road forward
• 4. Save your thesis (or your whole intro) for the end
• 5. Connect to your career

B. Strategies (may require big changes, or more planning ahead)

• 6. The “why us?” set-up
• 7. Back to the beginning, but something’s changed
• 8. The twist/reveal
• 9. The “theater of the oppressed” ending
• 10. The ellipsis ...

Okay, so think of a movie you’ve seen that you really enjoyed for most of the way through… and then the kinda boring or cliche ending lost you. Do you want to invite that movie to hang out at your college for the next few years? Probably not.

Three mistakes we see students make when it comes to ending their personal statement include thinking that you:

Should just restate the thesis (because English class)

Have to have a great ending in mind before you start

Shouldn’t worry much because the ending isn’t all that important

But we’re here to tell you that:

Yeah, probably don’t restate your thesis—in fact, many great personal statements don’t even have an explicit thesis.

You can write a great ending even after you’ve written the rest of your essay.

A great conclusion can be an essay-maker. It can take your personal statement from “pretty good” to “outstanding”

This post will show you how.

So let’s. Talk. Endings.

By the way: I’m using the term “we” instead of “I” here because I co-wrote this piece with my long-time friend, Andy Simpson. He has 15+ years experience guiding students on essays and, like me, geeks out on this stuff.

A great personal statement ending answers the question “So what?” or “Why does this matter?”

But how do you do it?

First, how not to do it.

Don’t just repeat or restate your thesis . We know, your teacher told you to (ours did too). And it might not be a bad idea for the conclusion to your AP US History or AP English Lang/Lit paper (although even there, maybe change the phrasing a little). But probably don’t do this on your personal statement. It can feel repetitive, or basic. And you are not basic.

Don’t end with a cheesy quote or something that anyone else could have written . We’re talking about quotes like, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world,” or phrases like, “I learned that everything happens for a reason,” or “I learned that I too can make a difference.” And if you’ve written a draft already, take a quick look at your last lines. Could someone else have written them? If so, a) we’re glad you’re here, and b) delete them and keep reading.

Be careful not to refer to things that you haven’t really shown earlier in the essay. Sometimes we’ll read essays that end with something like, “I’m grateful for all the lessons these experiences have taught me…”  but we don’t really know what those lessons are because the author didn’t tell us in the essay. If you refer to all the hard work you’re proud you did, for example, show us the hard work earlier in the essay.

What goes into a great ending?

The Two Essential Qualities of an Outstanding Ending

A great ending often has two qualities: surprise and inevitability . H/T Aristotle

Think about a great film ending—usually you feel some combination of “Whoah, I totally didn’t see that coming,” and “Ah, right, it probably had to end like that.”

We’re talking about The Sixth Sense , Inception , or Titanic . And totally j/k re: Titanic because that was a TERRIBLE ending—both Jack and Rose could’ve totally fit on that door. The boat sinking was a shocker, though, right? Does every great movie have both those qualities? No. And must you have both those qualities to get into a great college? No. But these are two good qualities to keep in mind as you read this post and write your essay.

10 TACTICS, STRATEGIES, AND TECHNIQUES FOR ENDING YOUR COLLEGE ESSAY

We’ll split this list into three categories:

Tactics: Things you can do once you’re pretty much done, or if you aren’t willing to rewrite your essay much.

Strategies: Things that, to make work, you kinda’ either have to have planned out ahead of time or be willing to rewrite some stuff.

Techniques : Small things you can do or apply to the tactics and strategies.

Important note: Not every personal statement ending will fit into these categories; they are just some ideas you can try based on some approaches we’ve seen work well for other students.

1. Connect to Your Values

This one is one of the easiest. It basically works like this: Look back through your essay and ask yourself, “What values am I showing?” 

Then don’t name those values too much in the body of your essay, but do name them explicitly in your conclusion. 

Here’s an example (note the values in bold ): 

Upon reflection, I found that my answer didn’t exist in books or research, but somewhere very close from the beginning—my intuition. In other words, I didn’t need an elaborate and intricate reason to prove to myself that health is an inalienable right for every human being—I needed self-reflection. So I ask again, “Does every life matter?” Yes. “Do I have solid, written proof?” No. Paul Farmer once said, “The thing about rights is that in the end you can’t prove what is a right.” To me, global health is not merely a study. It’s an attitude—a lens I use to look at the world—and it’s a statement about my commitment to health as a fundamental quality of liberty and equity .

To read the entire Does Every Life Matter essay, click here. 

Why This Ending Works

If you read the entire essay (at link above), you’ll see the author touches on a few different themes in his essay—heritage, community, moral behavior, etc.—but he doesn’t make them super explicit until the end. Once he names them at the end, we (as readers) go, “Ah, that’s what we thought you were talking about.” 

Ending with values is also a pretty good idea because a) it shows your ability to self-reflect, and b) highlights some qualities that, oh, by the way, will be useful in college and beyond. 

Heads-up that this doesn’t work quite as well if you’ve already clearly named the values earlier in the essay—in fact, it can feel repetitive. So, if you’re trying this approach, a) make sure you didn’t already explicitly name the values earlier and, if you did, b) delete or rephrase those parts of your essay so that when you name the values at the end, it won’t feel as repetitive. 

And by the way—did you notice how the whole paragraph above felt repetitive? That’s because, if you were reading carefully, we already wrote before the example, “Then don’t name those values too much in the body of your essay, but do name them explicitly in your conclusion.” So, to edit, we should cut that sentence (and that’s what we’d have you do in your essay).

You’ll find another example of this type of ending in the Makeup essay (check out the mentions of “scientific inquiry,” “voice,” “connect me with others,” and more in those last lines).

2. The Bookend or Callback

Bookending involves referring to something you’ve set up earlier in the essay. It’s something comedians do a lot and refer to as a “callback.” For a few examples, check out How Dave Chappelle Delivers a Callback starting at 1:05. (Trigger warning: There’s some adult language in that video. If you prefer, here’s the Wikipedia link explaining the same concept.)

Here’s an example of a callback in a personal statement: 

The essay begins ... 

“I have been pooped on many times. I mean this in the most literal sense possible. I have been pooped on by pigeons and possums, house finches and hawks, egrets and eastern grays. “

And the essay ends ... 

“The upshot is that I simply cannot walk away from injustice, however uncomfortable it is to confront it. I choose to act, taking a stand and exposing the truth in the most effective manner that I think is possible. And while I’m sure I will be dumped on many times, both literally and metaphorically, I won’t do the same to others.”

To read the entire “Poop, Animals, and the Environment” essay, click here.

What We Like about This Ending/Why It Works

This one is great because, on the one hand, the ending catches the reader by surprise (we didn’t see that coming!). But it also feels inevitable (because she’s calling back to something she set up at the start). That’s that surprise + inevitability we mentioned a minute ago. (Thanks, Aristotle.)

One thing that’s cool about this tactic is that you can do this once the rest of your essay is already written. And, if you do it well, it’ll feel like you planned it all along. 

If you’d like one more example, check out the Endodontics essay, whose author was pretty much done but still felt like the ending was missing something. So he went back, added the detail about “mineral white or diamond white” near the beginning, then wrote a last line that linked back to it. And yet when you read it you get the sense he’d planned his ending from the beginning.

Quick note: While you shouldn’t feel like you have to use humor, the cleverness in the endings of both the “Poop” and “Endodontics” essays mentioned above do leave a nice last impression.

3. The Road Forward

There’s something beautiful and inspiring about an open road. The sense of potential and possibility it offers. The invitation it makes.

So it can be nice to end an essay with language that feels like an open road—that ends with a sense of exploration and, maybe, a little excitement.

Here’s an example from a personal statement:

“I see a reflection of myself in the divide at the 38th parallel because I see one part isolating itself in defense to outside threats, and another part coming out to face the world as one of the fastest-developing nations. Just as my shy persona before debate and extroverted character after debate are both part of who I am, the Korean civilization is also one. And just as my parents expect much from me, the first of my family to attend college, I have grand expectations for this field of study.”

To read the entire “With Debate” essay, click here.

This conclusion opens with a nice metaphor, demonstrating both the author’s ability to think creatively and generate insight. It also reminds us of the growth we’ve seen the author go through over the course of the essay. Finally, this conclusion leaves us with a nice combo of purpose and potential—and in my experience, when an admission reader senses they may be able to help someone realize their potential, they’re usually pretty excited to do that.

Who This Might Work Well for: Students Who Have Faced Challenges

If you’ve worked through significant challenges in your life, this ending might work especially well for you. Here’s an example: 

“I know I’m not like many students my age, but I'm happy with who I am. I am the student who works on the weekends scrubbing restrooms, carrying trash bags and mopping kitchen floors. I am the student who won't give a second thought to missing a party to help my parents babysit my sisters or accompany them to a new job. I know that one day I will not take my family to a bowling alley to clean it but to enjoy it. And who knows maybe one day I will learn to bowl.”

To read the entire “Bowling” essay, click here.

This author answers “so what” by sharing how her experiences have shaped her values and sense of self. The details here, in conjunction with those in the body, give us a sense of the strong character she’s developed. And the hope and vulnerability of the final lines make us as readers hope for the same things for her.

But this is important: Please don’t think you need to force this—don’t build a hopeful tone at the end simply because you think that’s what your reader wants. Do so if it reflects your experience.

• Adrian’s Personal Statement
• The Little Porch and a Dog

4. Save Your Thesis (or Your Whole Intro) for the End

“But wait,” I hear you say, “I thought you were not supposed to put a thesis in your personal statement.”

Actually, I said don’t just repeat or restate your thesis. If you don’t state the main point of your essay in your body paragraphs, you might decide to include it at the end. 

There are two ways you can do this, and we’ll discuss them one by one:

Variation A: The “Put Your Thesis at the End” Approach

Putting your thesis at the beginning can sometimes lead to a personal statement that feels a bit too much like one of those essays in which an author builds an argument and supports it with evidence. And although it could be argued that you’re building an “argument” in your personal statement—an argument demonstrating that you’ll bring a lot of value to a college campus—this method isn’t quite the same. We’ve found that by explicitly naming their thesis at the start, then supporting it with bits of evidence, some students create a slightly less interesting story simply because the ending often isn’t all that surprising.

One way to avoid this is by delaying the thesis ‘til the end.

In the “ Hiking ” essay, for example, the author describes a few positive experiences he’s had with Boy Scouts. But he waits until the very end to share an insight that ties all the experiences together.

Check out the “Hiking” essay here.

Heads-up: The next thing we’re about to share won’t really make sense unless you read the “Hiking” essay. 

What’s neat about this personal statement is that the author touches on a few different values/sides of himself in the body paragraphs … but it’s not until the final paragraph that he claims these different sides of himself as identities. Check out that final line again: “When I'm hiking, I'm not merely a hiker ; I'm a historian , a conservationist , and a teacher all in one” (bold emphasis mine).

This ending works because, earlier in the essay, the author describes (i.e., shows us) these parts of himself through specific examples and details, then he names them (i.e., tells us) explicitly at the end of the essay. Note that if the author instead had decided to open his essay with that line, it kinda’ would’ve spoiled the ending of the movie (or, in this case, essay). The reader might’ve thought something like, “Okay, cool, guess I don’t really need to read the rest—thanks for saving me some time.” Ending with this sentence, however, creates a sense of both inevitability (since the final line pulls together the essences of the separate paragraphs, and surprise (because we didn’t think to name these different sides of him in quite this way—as identities he claims/roles he plays).

Note: To make this surprising, it was important for the author to not name these identities along the way, instead saving them for the end. 

Variation B: The “Put Your Thesis at the End” Approach

Here’s an example from a student who chose to put not just one sentence in her conclusion, but her entire intro paragraph: 

“My home is a dynamic and eclectic entity. Although I've lived in the same house in Cary, North Carolina for 10 years, I have found and carved homes and communities that are filled with and enriched by tradition, artists, researchers, and intellectuals. While I may not always live within a 5 mile radius of a Bojangle's or in close proximity to Lab 304, learning to become a more perceptive daughter and sister, to share the beauty of my heritage, and to take risks and redefine scientific and personal expectations will continue to impact my sense of home.”

To read the entire “Home” essay, click here.

Like the author of the “Hiking” essay above, this student does a nice job of pulling together the examples by zooming back to a wider frame of reference (but doing so with specific phrasing and language). Note that the author could have opened her essay with this paragraph, but doing so would have yielded a much more predictable (read: boring) essay. 

Instead, she shows images and experiences in the body paragraphs so we get to “watch the movie” of her life before she tells us what they mean to her. 

Note: In order to make this work, the author had to make sure the central topic of the essay (in this case, “home”) was super clear. She does this by repeating the word “home” at the ends of the first, second, and fourth paragraph, and in the middle of the third paragraph (she chose not to mention the word in the same place each time just to offer some variety). So if you try this one, make sure the topic/theme of your essay is clear.

5. Connect to Your Career

Quick PSA: College is not just a career conveyor belt (and colleges generally don’t see themselves that way). It’s a place where you can learn a lot about yourself and the world while, hopefully, meeting some awesome people. 

Having said that, describing in your conclusion how your experiences relate to your career can be effective for a couple reasons: 

It can be similar in effect to The Road Forward—we as readers like imagining the exploration ahead for the writer, and we may even want to help them on their journey.

Mentioning a future potential career can also set you up for one of the most common supplemental essays, the “Why us?” essay. If you take this approach, you can even think of your personal statement and the “Why us?” as effectively two parts of the same essay, where Part I (the personal statement) tells the story or stories of how you’ve arrived at your career path, while Part II (the “Why us?”) describes how you’ll make use of the specific opportunities at whatever college(s) you’re applying to. Some students structure their whole application like this, btw.

Here’s a quick example of a student who mentions his career at the end of his personal statement, which explores his long-held love of mazes and games:

“A few years ago I grew tired of working within the constraints of most internet games and I wanted to program my own, so I decided to learn the language of Scratch. With it, I created several computer games, incorporating such unordinary aspects of gameplay as the avoidance of time-travel paradoxes, and the control of "jounce," the fourth derivative of position with respect to time. Eventually, I came to realize that Scratch was too limited to implement some of my ideas, so I learned C#, and my potential expanded exponentially. I continue to study programming knowing that the more I learn, the more tools I have to express my creativity. To me, studying computer science is the next step of an evolution of boundary breaking that has been underway since my first maze.”

To read the entire “Mazes” essay, click here.

This conclusion has a few nice elements to it: It functions to bookend the essay (see above); it provides a wider frame/context for the specific details and experiences shared in the body paragraphs; and as mentioned above, it sets the author up for any “Why us?” essay he’ll write.

The “ Endodontics ” essay also ends this way, but where the “Mazes” author added the career connection near the end of his writing process, the “Endodontics” author actually planned his entire essay around the career that he mentions in his conclusion. 

Which brings us to our next point: There’s a deeper way of writing about your career ...

6. The “Why Us?” Set-Up

What it is: A conclusion that sets up nicely for a (separate) “Why us?” essay. In some cases, the personal statement is even planned around a specific program that will be discussed in a “Why us?” essay. This can work especially well if, while researching colleges, you found The Perfect Program for you—like one that basically checks all your boxes.

The key to making this strategy work is to write your personal statement in a way that does not simply replicate the content you’ll share in your “Why us?” essay. Instead, think of your personal statement as kinda’ like sharing your “origin story” (yeah, like in a comic book or Marvel movie). 

For an example of an essay that shares a budding activist’s origin story, check out the personal statement, “ The Instagram Post .” The ending reads: 

“My role model Ruth Bader Ginsburg says, “dissent[ers] speak to a future age... they are writing not for today but for tomorrow.” Retrospectively, I realize that The Post was my voice of dissent―through it, I initiated a campus-wide discussion and openly challenged the majority opinion of my school for the first time. As I aspire to become a civil rights attorney and the first Asian woman on the Supreme Court (I hope it doesn’t take that long!), I am confident that I will continue to write and speak out for justice ―for tomorrow.”

To read the entire “The Instagram Post” essay, click here.

If you read the whole personal statement, you may find the ending somewhat surprising (in that you perhaps didn’t expect at the start of the essay that the author would eventually say she wanted to become a civil rights attorney) and inevitable (because this path makes sense given the trajectory she has been on since her Instagram post).

But this is really just Part 1 of her journey. The next chapter (i.e., Part 2) is essentially what she maps out in her “Why us?” essay. 

You can read her “Why us?” essay for Michigan at this link . 

Note how the first line of her “Why us?” essay not only references the end of her personal statement, but also expands on other interests—all of which she’ll explore in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) concentration at Michigan. 

This works particularly well because she isn’t repeating too much from her personal statement; she’s expanding on it. Look at this sentence from her “Why us?” essay in particular: 

“The interdisciplinary nature of PPE perfectly suits my desire to understand human beings through different lenses. I strongly believe that social and geopolitical issues must be approached in a multidimensional context--complex relationships between individuals and communities demand equally sophisticated analyses.” 

These sentences help us understand her “why” and connects back to some of the themes and values of her personal statement, but here we get some more elevated language. Later in her “Why us?” essay, she names specific opportunities and classes in the PPE program that will help her achieve the goals she’s named.  

For another example of this type of ending, check out “ The ‘Not Black Enough’ East-Asian Influenced Bibliophile ,” which is a bit more open-ended, but still works well. To see that student’s “Why us?” essay, click here .

7. Back to the Beginning, but Something’s Changed

What it is: You link back to the person you were at the beginning of the essay and reflect on how you’ve changed. This is similar in approach and effect to bookending, but (as you’ll see if you read the full essay linked below) it takes a lot more planning ahead (whereas bookending can often be the last thing you think of). This kind of ending will inherently show growth and reflection, two nice qualities to demonstrate in your writing. 

Here’s the start of an essay that uses this strategy ...

“It was Easter and we should’ve been celebrating with our family, but my father had locked us in the house. If he wasn’t going out, neither were my mother and I.”

And here’s the ending:

“My Easter will drastically differ from past years. Rather than being locked at home, my mother and I will celebrate outdoors our rebirth and renewal.”

To read the entire “Easter” essay, click here.

By mirroring some language from the opening, you can achieve the same kind of closure that basic bookending does. But here, there’s an added element of growth, development, understanding—we see how the author has more fully stepped into themselves through the course of the narrative. There’s also a similar effect to a few of the other approaches we’ve discussed in that when we see this growth, we cheer for the writer.

8. The Twist/Reveal

What it is: You set up an expectation in the reader through the structure and focus of your essay, then pivot against that expectation in your ending. This is effective for the same reason that movies with (good) twist endings are effective—we enjoy the surprise, the revelation, the way the ending requires us to recalculate all that we’ve just seen. It also indicates a certain degree of skill and understanding as a writer, since setting up a twist that we don’t see coming isn’t easy.

Note that this is similar in effect to The Twist opening described here .

Check out the ending of this essay:

“The more I scratch off from my goals list, the more it brings me back to those days handling spatulas. Anew, I ask myself, “Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life?” I want a life driven by my passions, rather than the impositions of labor. I want to explore new paths and grow within my community to eradicate the prejudicial barriers on Latinos. So yes, this IS how I want to spend the rest of my life.” 

T o read the entire “¡Ya levantate!” essay, click here.  

When the writer ends the first third of his essay with “This was the scene that ignited the question in my head: ‘Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life?’ The answer was no. So I started…,” we’re expecting the rest of the essay to explore how their life has led them to an understanding of how they do want to spend the rest of their life. And they do. Sorta :). But the recall at the end and the twist in a new direction offer a satisfying reveal and require a re-evaluation of what has come before.

Note that this example also shares elements with the “Back to the Beginning, but Something’s Changed” approach.

The “Theater of the Oppressed” Ending

What it is: You put the ending of the essay in the reader’s hands. You don’t resolve it.

Check out the ending to this essay: 

“Living in a low-income immigrant household has taught me to appreciate all I’ve been given.  Testifying in court helped me grow as a person, has made me more open-minded and aware of the problems facing my community. And my involvement in the urban farm has led me to consider a career as a nutritionist. Though neither of my parents attended college, they understand that college is a key factor to a bright future and therefore have been very supportive. And though we don't yet have the house with the small porch and the dog, we're still holding out hope. I believe college can help.”

This one hits hard each time we read it. Those last lines are powerful, the culmination of a moving story. And the author leaves what happens next in the reader’s hands.

This technique is similar to a technique used by Theater of the Oppressed (hence the name), where actors onstage play out a conflict and then, instead of resolving it, pause to seek out input and ideas from the audience members. In the case of the personal statement, the “audience” is the college admission officer and the author says, in effect, “It’s up to you to help finish this story.”

Note that this kind of ending only works with certain kinds of challenges/circumstances. For another example of this strategy, check out the “ Growing Up in Lebanon ” essay: “And I look forward to becoming the first man in my family to finish college.” We know this is somewhat similar to the example above, but we imagine this strategy could work with other endings—and if you’ve seen one or written one, feel free to share it with us by emailing [email protected]. We’d love to see it.

10. The Ellipsis ...

What it is: Leave something unanswered, like an ellipsis. What’s an ellipsis? It’s the dot dot dot at the end of a sentence that looks like this: ...

You’ll find one example in the “Dead Bird” essay at this link . You’ll find another example in the “I Shot My Brother” essay at this link . 

We’re not going to post a super in-depth analysis of these two essays simply because it’ll ruin the ending of these two (very good) pieces of writing. 

But we do want to say a few things about this type of ending:  

For this type of ending to work, a) the author must create a sense of suspense so that the reader wonders—and actually cares about—what will happen next, but then stops before revealing what happens next, and b) there must be a limited set of possible paths for the reader to imagine. In other words, it can’t be completely open-ended (i.e., “anything is possible”). 

In the “Dead Bird” essay, for example, we sense that either a) she has come to a deeper understanding of the trauma she experienced, or b) she hasn’t. 

In the “I Shot My Brother” essay—and we’re going to keep it a little vague here so we don’t ruin the ending—we sense that the author’s brother is about to reveal a) good news, or b) bad news. We also sense that the author will share with his brother the essay and it will either a) turn out well, or b) turn out poorly. 

In each of these cases, though, we think we can guess how it’s going to go … and it also doesn’t really matter what happens next because already the author has gone through a major change (who they are at the end is very different from where they started).

This type of ending is really hard to pull off. We’d recommend you not obsess over using this type of ending at the expense of writing an essay that demonstrates all the skills, qualities, values, and interests that you’ll bring with you to college. 

We’re actually not sure that these two essays are necessarily the best personal statement examples because, while the authors do exhibit great sensitivity and writing ability, we’re not sure these personal statements show... the skills, qualities, values, and interests that the authors will bring with them to college as well as they might. 

Check out the “ If Ink Were Ants ” essay for a personal statement example that we believe does more clearly show great qualities…and ends with an actual ellipsis. Now, you don’t have to end yours with an actual dot dot dot, but you’ll see how the author does a nice job of setting up where she might go in the future without spelling it out explicitly. 

In short, if you use this method, we’d recommend making your ending somewhat but not completely open-ended.

A Final Word on Endings

Having said all this … do you have to write an awesome ending to get into a great college? Not necessarily. Great students get into great schools with personal statement endings that are just so-so. The “ Arab Spring in Bahrain ” essay ending, for example, is arguably just okay, and that student still got into a Very Famous School That You Have Heard of. (We don’t like to name schools, as it can lead to copycatting.

But a great ending can leave a great last impression, as you’ll see in the examples above.

So pick one and get crackin’!

Action Item: Choose one (or more) of these ending techniques and try it out. If it doesn’t work, try another.

Andrew Simpson, CEG’s Editorial Director, has worked as an educator, consultant, and curriculum writer for the past 15 years, and earned degrees from Stanford in Political Science and Drama. He feels most at home on mountain tops and in oceans.

Top Values:  Insight/Growth | Truth | Integrity

Ethan Sawyer (he/him) is the founder of College Essay Guy which means he has been eating/sleeping/breathing college essays for most of his waking hours since 2003. Each year he and his team reach more than one million students and counselors through the College Essay Guy blog, online pay-what-you-can courses, workshops, books, and one-on-one work.

Through his work he has supported, advised and counseled thousands of students through the complicated college search and application process, all while staying true to his core values of providing ease, purpose and joy in the process.

Top Values: humor, connection, family 

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How to Use a Quote in an Essay

Table of Contents

MLA in-text citation how-to

You can take a quote from different sources of information, such as books, magazines, websites or printed journals. Using quotes in an essay serves three goals:

• Present additional evidence to support your point of view or oppose a claim or idea;
• Help a reader better understand a topic under analysis;
• Strengthen your argumentation on a topic using another writer’s eloquence.

Since quotes are mostly used in Humanities, you’ll have to follow MLA citation referencing guidelines. The Modern Language Association citation manual implies two types of quotes – short and long.

• Short quote – Is less than 4 lines of typed text and can be embedded directly into a sentence;
• Long quote – Is more than 4 lines of typed text and requires a separate content block in an essay without quotation marks.

Writing college essays, the recommendation is to use short quotes.

Parenthetical citation

Referring to the works of other authors in-text is done using a parenthetical citation . Such a method implies the author-page style of quoting. For example:

When it comes to writing, King suggests: “Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” (5)

Given the MLA in-text citation already contains King’s last name, you shouldn’t mention it in the parenthesis. If the author’s name isn’t mentioned in-text, it has to be specified in a parenthetical citation.

When it comes to writing, there’s a quote I like the most: “Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” (King 5)

According to MLA guidelines, at the end of the essay, there has to be the Works Cited page . It contains the full reference featuring author’s full name, the full title of the source, the volume, the issue number, the date of publishing, and the URL (if the source was found online). Here’s an example of the full referencing in the Works Cited:

King, Larry L. “The Collection of Best Works.” Oxford University Press, vol. 2, no. 3, Jan.-Feb. 2017, http://www.prowritersdigest.com/editor-blogs/inspirational-quotes/72-of-the-best-quotes-about-writing.

How to start an essay with a quote?

Starting an essay with a quote is a matter of controversy. Experts in the pro camp suggest that a quote at the beginning of an essay helps make a powerful statement right from the start. Moreover, an interesting, captivating quote grabs the reader’s attention right from the start.

Experts from the against camp suggest that when you begin an essay with a quote, you miss on the opportunity to present your own take on the subject matter. In their opinion, when writing the introduction, you have to rely only on your words. Whereas quotes are most useful in the main body, serving as an additional argumentation. In conclusion, a quote can be placed, too.

How to use quotes in the middle of an essay?

Main Body is the place you’re meant to state a quote or two, depending on the length of a paper. A standard 5-paragraph essay will imply you to use 2-3 quotes in the main body. More quotes aren’t necessary for such a short assignment. Two quotes in the main body will do just fine.

In the main body paragraph, a quote is placed in the middle of the passage . First, you introduce a focal sentence of a paragraph highlighting your point of view regarding a topic. After that, you provide the evidence data and argumentation, among which is a relevant quote. And finally, you smoothly transit to the next body paragraph or the conclusion. Here’re three examples of how to present a quote in one of the main body paragraphs.

Accurate integration of a citation in a text is key. Or the whole passage will sound off.

People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice. “Those (…) who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”

College essay quotes have to be naturally embedded in a text .

People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice: “Those (…) who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”

There’s also the way to write an essay with quotes in the smoothest way possible.

People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice. They simply “know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”

See how organically a quote is inserted in a sentence? That’s the best-case scenario of using a quote in a sentence.

How to end an essay with a quote?

Sometimes, ending an essay with a quote is better than merely restating your thesis statement. Citations can be taken from both primary and secondary sources. Good quotes to end an essay might be of your course professor’s. According to essay writing websites , quotations taken from the words of subject authorities and thought leaders will do great, too.

A quote ending an essay helps meet 5 objectives:

• Provide a solid closure to your essay;
• Fortify your point of view;
• Give one final argument in favor of your thesis statement;
• Establish your authority on a topic;
• Helps your essay stand out.

Having a quotation at the end of an essay gives a good chance to score an “A”.

15 tips for using quotations in an essay

• Look up quotes in academic sources in the first place;
• Rely on the printed matter rather than internet sources;
• Avoid citing information from Wikipedia;
• Give context to every quotation you use;
• Always use quotation marks to avoid plagiarism-related troubles;
• Explain why the quote you’re about to use in a text is important;
• Seek to integrate quotes smoothly in a sentence for the best effect;
• Each quotation has to be attributed to the original source using parenthesis;
• Gather 10-15 quotes relevant to your topic and then sift through 5 quotes that will serve you best;
• Use the exact wording, punctuation, capitalization and sentence structure as in the original;
• Watch your punctuation when using quotes in a sentence;
• Avoid misquotations, as it’s a sign of a careless attitude towards the assignment;
• Use an ellipsis (…) to withdraw a part of a quote you don’t actually need;
• Try to use short quotes rather than long;
• Avoid quoting quotes, as it’s where students make mistakes most often.

5 motivational quotes for essay writing

Inspiration is a staple in every great writer’s routine. As a student, you might find drawing inspiration a bit too difficult. Here’re a couple of inspiring essay motivation quotes to help you break through the writer’s block. Or you can buy argumentative essay if doing the task yourself isn’t an option.

“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.”

“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.”

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is … the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

“Making people believe the unbelievable is no trick; it’s work . … Belief and reader absorption come in the details: An overturned tricycle in the gutter of an abandoned neighborhood can stand for everything.”

“To defend what you’ve written is a sign that you are alive.”

Many times life catches us off balance. Lots of written homework. Tight schedule. Sudden illness. Personal matters. Writer’s block. An instructor returned the essay for revisions. At the moments like these, it’s always a good idea to have someone to cover your back. GradeMiners can always write you a new essay, rewrite an existing draft, perform an ending an essay with a quote, or proofread your text for mistakes, typos, as well as correct the use of quotations. Let us know if you need anything, and we’ll help you out!

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• How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA

How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA

Published on 15 April 2022 by Shona McCombes and Jack Caulfield. Revised on 3 September 2022.

Quoting means copying a passage of someone else’s words and crediting the source. To quote a source, you must ensure:

• The quoted text is enclosed in quotation marks (usually single quotation marks in UK English, though double is acceptable as long as you’re consistent) or formatted as a block quote
• The original author is correctly cited
• The text is identical to the original

The exact format of a quote depends on its length and on which citation style you are using. Quoting and citing correctly is essential to avoid plagiarism , which is easy to detect with a good plagiarism checker .

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Table of contents

How to cite a quote in harvard and apa style, introducing quotes, quotes within quotes, shortening or altering a quote, block quotes, when should i use quotes, frequently asked questions about quoting sources.

Every time you quote, you must cite the source correctly . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style you’re using.

Citing a quote in Harvard style

When you include a quote in Harvard style, you must add a Harvard in-text citation giving the author’s last name, the year of publication, and a page number if available. Any full stop or comma appears after the citation, not within the quotation marks.

Citations can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in brackets after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

• Evolution is a gradual process that ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) . Darwin (1859) explains that evolution ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (p. 510) .

Complete guide to Harvard style

Citing a quote in APA Style

To cite a direct quote in APA , you must include the author’s last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use ‘p.’; if it spans a page range, use ‘pp.’

An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in parentheses after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

Punctuation marks such as full stops and commas are placed after the citation, not within the quotation marks.

• Evolution is a gradual process that ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) .
• Darwin (1859) explains that evolution ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (p. 510) .

Complete guide to APA

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Make sure you integrate quotes properly into your text by introducing them in your own words, showing the reader why you’re including the quote and providing any context necessary to understand it.  Don’t  present quotations as stand-alone sentences.

There are three main strategies you can use to introduce quotes in a grammatically correct way:

• Add an introductory sentence
• Use an introductory signal phrase
• Integrate the quote into your own sentence

The following examples use APA Style citations, but these strategies can be used in all styles.

Introductory sentence

Introduce the quote with a full sentence ending in a colon . Don’t use a colon if the text before the quote isn’t a full sentence.

If you name the author in your sentence, you may use present-tense verbs, such as “states’, ‘argues’, ‘explains’, ‘writes’, or ‘reports’, to describe the content of the quote.

• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (p. 3).

Introductory signal phrase

You can also use a signal phrase that mentions the author or source but doesn’t form a full sentence. In this case, you follow the phrase with a comma instead of a colon.

• According to a recent poll, ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• As Levring (2018) explains, ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (p. 3).

Integrated into your own sentence

To quote a phrase that doesn’t form a full sentence, you can also integrate it as part of your sentence, without any extra punctuation.

• A recent poll suggests that EU membership ‘would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ in a referendum (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that EU membership ‘would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ in a referendum (p. 3).

When you quote text that itself contains another quote, this is called a nested quotation or a quote within a quote. It may occur, for example, when quoting dialogue from a novel.

To distinguish this quote from the surrounding quote, you enclose it in double (instead of single) quotation marks (even if this involves changing the punctuation from the original text). Make sure to close both sets of quotation marks at the appropriate moments.

Note that if you only quote the nested quotation itself, and not the surrounding text, you can just use single quotation marks.

• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘ ‘ Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, ‘ he told me, ‘ just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had ‘ ‘ (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘”Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had “  (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had”’ (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway begins by quoting his father’s invocation to ‘remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had’ (Fitzgerald 1).

Note:  When the quoted text in the source comes from another source, it’s best to just find that original source in order to quote it directly. If you can’t find the original source, you can instead cite it indirectly .

Often, incorporating a quote smoothly into your text requires you to make some changes to the original text. It’s fine to do this, as long as you clearly mark the changes you’ve made to the quote.

Shortening a quote

If some parts of a passage are redundant or irrelevant, you can shorten the quote by removing words, phrases, or sentences and replacing them with an ellipsis (…). Put a space before and after the ellipsis.

Be careful that removing the words doesn’t change the meaning. The ellipsis indicates that some text has been removed, but the shortened quote should still accurately represent the author’s point.

Altering a quote

You can add or replace words in a quote when necessary. This might be because the original text doesn’t fit grammatically with your sentence (e.g., it’s in a different tense), or because extra information is needed to clarify the quote’s meaning.

Use brackets to distinguish words that you have added from words that were present in the original text.

The Latin term ‘ sic ‘ is used to indicate a (factual or grammatical) mistake in a quotation. It shows the reader that the mistake is from the quoted material, not a typo of your own.

In some cases, it can be useful to italicise part of a quotation to add emphasis, showing the reader that this is the key part to pay attention to. Use the phrase ’emphasis added’ to show that the italics were not part of the original text.

You usually don’t need to use brackets to indicate minor changes to punctuation or capitalisation made to ensure the quote fits the style of your text.

If you quote more than a few lines from a source, you must format it as a block quote . Instead of using quotation marks, you set the quote on a new line and indent it so that it forms a separate block of text.

Block quotes are cited just like regular quotes, except that if the quote ends with a full stop, the citation appears after the full stop.

To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more. (16)

Avoid relying too heavily on quotes in academic writing . To integrate a source , it’s often best to paraphrase , which means putting the passage into your own words. This helps you integrate information smoothly and keeps your own voice dominant.

However, there are some situations in which quotes are more appropriate.

When focusing on language

If you want to comment on how the author uses language (for example, in literary analysis ), it’s necessary to quote so that the reader can see the exact passage you are referring to.

When giving evidence

To convince the reader of your argument, interpretation or position on a topic, it’s often helpful to include quotes that support your point. Quotes from primary sources (for example, interview transcripts or historical documents) are especially credible as evidence.

When presenting an author’s position or definition

When you’re referring to secondary sources such as scholarly books and journal articles, try to put others’ ideas in your own words when possible.

But if a passage does a great job at expressing, explaining, or defining something, and it would be very difficult to paraphrase without changing the meaning or losing the weakening the idea’s impact, it’s worth quoting directly.

A quote is an exact copy of someone else’s words, usually enclosed in quotation marks and credited to the original author or speaker.

To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

• Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
• You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
• You’re presenting a precise definition
• You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

Every time you quote a source , you must include a correctly formatted in-text citation . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style .

For example, a direct quote in APA is cited like this: ‘This is a quote’ (Streefkerk, 2020, p. 5).

Every in-text citation should also correspond to a full reference at the end of your paper.

In scientific subjects, the information itself is more important than how it was expressed, so quoting should generally be kept to a minimum. In the arts and humanities, however, well-chosen quotes are often essential to a good paper.

In social sciences, it varies. If your research is mainly quantitative , you won’t include many quotes, but if it’s more qualitative , you may need to quote from the data you collected .

As a general guideline, quotes should take up no more than 5–10% of your paper. If in doubt, check with your instructor or supervisor how much quoting is appropriate in your field.

If you’re quoting from a text that paraphrases or summarises other sources and cites them in parentheses , APA  recommends retaining the citations as part of the quote:

• Smith states that ‘the literature on this topic (Jones, 2015; Sill, 2019; Paulson, 2020) shows no clear consensus’ (Smith, 2019, p. 4).

Footnote or endnote numbers that appear within quoted text should be omitted.

If you want to cite an indirect source (one you’ve only seen quoted in another source), either locate the original source or use the phrase ‘as cited in’ in your citation.

A block quote is a long quote formatted as a separate ‘block’ of text. Instead of using quotation marks , you place the quote on a new line, and indent the entire quote to mark it apart from your own words.

APA uses block quotes for quotes that are 40 words or longer.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. & Caulfield, J. (2022, September 03). How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA. Scribbr. Retrieved 27 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/quoting/

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How to Use Quotation Marks

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Using Quotation Marks

The primary function of quotation marks is to set off and represent exact language (either spoken or written) that has come from somebody else. The quotation mark is also used to designate speech acts in fiction and sometimes poetry. Since you will most often use them when working with outside sources, successful use of quotation marks is a practical defense against accidental plagiarism and an excellent practice in academic honesty. The following rules of quotation mark use are the standard in the United States, although it may be of interest that usage rules for this punctuation do vary in other countries.

The following covers the basic use of quotation marks. For details and exceptions consult the separate sections of this guide.

Direct Quotations

Direct quotations involve incorporating another person's exact words into your own writing.

• Quotation marks always come in pairs. Do not open a quotation and fail to close it at the end of the quoted material.

Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field that morning, said, "The alien spaceship appeared right before my own two eyes."

Although Mr. Johnson has seen odd happenings on the farm, he stated that the spaceship "certainly takes the cake" when it comes to unexplainable activity.

"I didn't see an actual alien being," Mr. Johnson said, "but I sure wish I had."

When quoting text with a spelling or grammar error, you should transcribe the error exactly in your own text. However, also insert the term sic in italics directly after the mistake, and enclose it in brackets. Sic is from the Latin, and translates to "thus," "so," or "just as that." The word tells the reader that your quote is an exact reproduction of what you found, and the error is not your own.

Mr. Johnson says of the experience, "It's made me reconsider the existence of extraterestials [ sic ]."

• Quotations are most effective if you use them sparingly and keep them relatively short. Too many quotations in a research paper will get you accused of not producing original thought or material (they may also bore a reader who wants to know primarily what YOU have to say on the subject).

Indirect Quotations

Indirect quotations are not exact wordings but rather rephrasings or summaries of another person's words. In this case, it is not necessary to use quotation marks. However, indirect quotations still require proper citations, and you will be committing plagiarism if you fail to do so.

Many writers struggle with when to use direct quotations versus indirect quotations. Use the following tips to guide you in your choice.

Use direct quotations when the source material uses language that is particularly striking or notable. Do not rob such language of its power by altering it.

The above should never stand in for:

Use an indirect quotation (or paraphrase) when you merely need to summarize key incidents or details of the text.

Use direct quotations when the author you are quoting has coined a term unique to her or his research and relevant within your own paper.

When to use direct quotes versus indirect quotes is ultimately a choice you'll learn a feeling for with experience. However, always try to have a sense for why you've chosen your quote. In other words, never put quotes in your paper simply because your teacher says, "You must use quotes."

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5.4: Writing Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs

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• Athena Kashyap & Erika Dyquisto
• City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

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Picture your introduction as a storefront window: You have a certain amount of space to attract your customers (readers) to your goods (subject) and bring them inside your store (discussion). Once you have enticed them with something intriguing, you then point them in a specific direction and try to make the sale (convince them to accept your thesis).

Your introduction is an invitation to your readers to consider what you have to say and then to follow your train of thought as you expand upon your thesis statement.

An introduction serves the following purposes:

• Establishes your voice and tone, or your attitude, toward the subject
• Introduces the general topic of the essay
• Relates the topic to the reader
• States the thesis that will be supported in the body paragraphs

First impressions are crucial and can leave lasting effects in your reader’s mind, which is why the introduction is so important to your essay. If your introductory paragraph is dull or disjointed, your reader probably will not have much interest in continuing with the essay.

Attracting Interest in Your Introductory Paragraph

Your introduction should begin with an engaging statement devised to provoke your readers’ interest. It should also relate to your stance on the topic. In the next few sentences, introduce your reader to the topic by stating general facts or ideas about the subject. As you move deeper into your introduction, you gradually narrow the focus, moving closer to your thesis. Moving smoothly and logically from your introductory remarks to your thesis statement can be achieved using a funnel technique, as illustrated in the following diagram.

On a separate sheet of paper, jot down a few general remarks that you can make about the topic for which you formed a thesis in Section 5.1, " Developing a Strong, Clear Thesis Statement ."

Immediately capturing your readers’ interest increases the chances of having them read what you are about to discuss. You can garner curiosity for your essay in a number of ways. Try to get your readers personally involved by doing any of the following:

• Appealing to their emotions
• Using logic
• Beginning with a provocative question or opinion
• Opening with a startling statistic or surprising fact
• Raising a question or series of questions
• Presenting an explanation or rationalization for your essay
• Opening with a relevant quotation or incident
• Opening with a striking image
• Including a personal anecdote

Some other ideas are:

• If the topic is controversial, you can include the current state of the controversy. If there is a lot of history to the topic, you can summarize the history.
• If you are writing a personal essay, you can begin with a brief personal anecdote.
• If you are writing an essay that is focused on one or two works (of literature or nonfiction), you can introduce those works with the title(s), author(s), and brief information about those works.
• Describe a brief event that you think illustrates the overall point you want to make with your essay.
• State an interesting fact that others may not know.
• State a shocking but relevant statistic.
• Compare what people generally think to what the reality is.

The Role of Introductions

Introductions and conclusions can be the most difficult parts of papers to write. Usually when students sit down to respond to an assignment, they have at least some sense of what they want to say in the body of the paper. They might have chosen a few examples or have an idea that will help them answer the main question of your assignment: these sections, therefore, are not as hard to write. But these middle parts of the paper can’t just come out of thin air at the reader; they need to be introduced and concluded in a way that makes sense to the reader.

The introduction and conclusion act as bridges that transport readers from their own lives into the “place” of the writer’s analysis. If the readers pick up a paper about education in the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, for example, they need a transition to help them leave behind the world of California, YouTube, e-mail, etc. and to help them temporarily enter the world of nineteenth-century American slavery. By providing an introduction that helps readers make a transition between their own world and the issues in the paper, writers give their readers the tools they need to get into the topic and care about what they are reading. (See this handout on conclusions .)

The trick about how general to begin is to think about your audience. Write a first sentence that everyone can both to your topic and they can relate to personally. Now, how you present that topic – be it a question, a humorous statement, an interesting statistic or a shocking fact – depends on what you think is appropriate for your audience.

Image by  Helena Lopes  from  Pexels

Why Bother Writing a Good Introduction?

You never get a second chance to make a first impression . The opening paragraph of a paper will provide readers with their initial impressions of the argument, the writing style, and the overall quality of work. A vague, disorganized, error-filled, off-the-wall, or boring introduction will probably create a negative impression. On the other hand, a concise, engaging, and well-written introduction will start your readers off thinking highly of the writer, his analytical skills, the writing, and the paper overall.

Your introduction is an important road map for the rest of your paper . The introduction conveys a lot of information to the readers. They are introduced to the topic, why it is important, and how the topic will be discussed and developed. It also introduces your tone and stance about the topic. In most academic disciplines, the introduction should contain a thesis that will assert the main argument. It should also, ideally, give the reader a sense of the kinds of information used to make that argument and the general organization of the paragraphs and pages that will follow. After reading the introduction, readers should not have any major surprises in store when they read the main body of the paper.

Ideally, your introduction will make your readers want to read your paper . The introduction should capture the readers’ interest, making them want to read the rest of the paper. Opening with a compelling story, a fascinating quotation, an interesting question, or a stirring example can get readers to see why this topic matters and serve as an invitation for them to join an interesting intellectual conversation.

Guidelines: Writing Effective Introductions

1. Start by thinking about the question (or questions) you are trying to answer . Your entire essay will be a response to this question, and your introduction is the first step toward that end. Your direct answer to the assigned question will be your thesis, and your thesis will be included in your introduction, so it is a good idea to use the question as a jumping off point. Imagine that you are assigned the following question:

Education has long been considered a major force for American social change, righting the wrongs of our society. Drawing on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, discuss the relationship between education and slavery in 19th-century America. Consider the following: How did white control of education reinforce slavery? How did Douglass and other enslaved African Americans view education while they endured slavery? And what role did education play in the acquisition of freedom? Most importantly, consider the degree to which education was or was not a major force for social change with regard to slavery.

You will probably refer back to your assignment extensively as you prepare your complete essay, and the prompt itself can also give you some clues about how to approach the introduction. Notice that it starts with a broad statement, that education has been considered a major force for social change, and then narrows to focus on specific questions from the book. One strategy might be to use a similar model in your own introduction —start off with a big picture sentence or two about the power of education as a force for change as a way of getting your reader interested and then focus in on the details of your argument about Douglass. Of course, a different approach could also be very successful, but looking at the way the professor set up the question can sometimes give you some ideas for how you might answer it.

2. Decide how general or broad your opening should be. Keep in mind that even a “big picture” opening needs to be clearly related to your topic; an opening sentence that said “Human beings, more than any other creatures on earth, are capable of learning” would be too broad for our sample assignment about slavery and education. If you have ever used Google Maps or similar programs, that experience can provide a helpful way of thinking about how broad your opening should be. The question you are asking determines how “broad” your view should be. In the sample assignment above, the questions are probably at the “state” or “city” level of generality. But the introductory sentence about human beings is mismatched—it’s definitely at the “global” level. When writing, you need to place your ideas in context—but that context doesn’t generally have to be as big as the whole galaxy!

3. Try writing your introduction last . You may think that you have to write your introduction first, but that isn’t necessarily true, and it isn’t always the most effective way to craft a good introduction. You may find that you don’t know what you are going to argue at the beginning of the writing process, and only through the experience of writing your paper do you discover your main argument. It is perfectly fine to start out thinking that you want to argue a particular point, but wind up arguing something slightly or even dramatically different by the time you’ve written most of the paper. The writing process can be an important way to organize your ideas, think through complicated issues, refine your thoughts, and develop a sophisticated argument. However, an introduction written at the beginning of that discovery process will not necessarily reflect what you wind up with at the end. You will need to revise your paper to make sure that the introduction, all of the evidence, and the conclusion reflect the argument you intend. Sometimes it’s easiest to just write up all of your evidence first and then write the introduction last—that way you can be sure that the introduction will match the body of the paper and don't run out of time to revise your introduction.

4. Don’t be afraid to write a tentative introduction first and then change it later. Some people find that they need to write some kind of introduction in order to get the writing process started. That’s fine, but if you are one of those people, be sure to return to your initial introduction later and rewrite if necessary.

5. Open with an attention grabber. Sometimes, especially if the topic of your paper is somewhat dry or technical, opening with something catchy can help. Consider these options:

• an intriguing example (for example, the mistress who initially teaches Douglass but then ceases her instruction as she learns more about slavery)
• a provocative quotation (Douglass writes that “education and slavery were incompatible with each other”)
• a puzzling scenario (Frederick Douglass says of slaves that “[N]othing has been left undone to cripple their intellects, darken their minds, debase their moral nature, obliterate all traces of their relationship to mankind; and yet how wonderfully they have sustained the mighty load of a most frightful bondage, under which they have been groaning for centuries!” Douglass clearly asserts that slave owners went to great lengths to destroy the mental capacities of slaves, yet his own life story proves that these efforts could be unsuccessful.)
• a vivid and perhaps unexpected anecdote (for example, “Learning about slavery in the American history course at Frederick Douglass High School, students studied the work slaves did, the impact of slavery on their families, and the rules that governed their lives. We didn’t discuss education, however, until one student, Mary, raised her hand and asked, ‘But when did they go to school?’ That modern high school students could not conceive of an American childhood devoid of formal education speaks volumes about the centrality of education to American youth today and also suggests the significance of the deprivation of education in past generations.”)
• a thought-provoking question (given all of the freedoms that were denied enslaved individuals in the American South, why does Frederick Douglass focus his attentions so squarely on education and literacy?)

6. Pay special attention to your first sentence . Start off on the right foot with your readers by making sure that the first sentence actually says something useful and that it does so in an interesting and error-free way.

7. Be straightforward and confident . Avoid statements like “In this paper, I will argue that Frederick Douglass valued education.” While this sentence points toward your main argument, it isn’t especially interesting. It might be more effective to say what you mean in a declarative sentence. It is much more convincing to tell us that “Frederick Douglass valued education” than to tell us that you are going to say that he did. Assert your main argument confidently. After all, you can’t expect your reader to believe it if it doesn’t sound like you believe it!

How to Evaluate Your Introduction?

Ask a friend to read it and then tell you what he or she expects the paper will discuss, what kinds of evidence the paper will use, and what the tone of the paper will have. If your friend is able to predict the rest of your paper accurately and wants to keep reading, you probably have a good introduction.

Guidelines: Avoiding Less Effective Introductions

1. The place holder introduction . When you don’t have much to say on a given topic, it is easy to create this kind of introduction. Essentially, this kind of weaker introduction contains several sentences that are vague and don’t really say much. They exist just to take up the “introduction space” in your paper. If you had something more effective to say, you would probably say it, but in the meantime this paragraph is just a place holder. This may what you write just to get yourself writing, but be sure to go back and revise it.

Example: Slavery was one of the greatest tragedies in American history. There were many different aspects of slavery. Each created different kinds of problems for enslaved people.

2. The restated question introduction. Restating the question can sometimes be an effective strategy, but it can be easy to stop at JUST restating the question instead of offering a more specific, interesting introduction to your paper. The professor or teaching assistant wrote your questions and will be reading ten to seventy essays in response to them—thye do not need to read a whole paragraph that simply restates the question. Try to do something more interesting.

Example: Indeed, education has long been considered a major force for American social change, righting the wrongs of our society. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass discusses the relationship between education and slavery in 19th century America, showing how white control of education reinforced slavery and how Douglass and other enslaved African Americans viewed education while they endured. Moreover, the book discusses the role that education played in the acquisition of freedom. Education was a major force for social change with regard to slavery.

3. The Dictionary introduction. This introduction begins by giving the dictionary definition of one or more of the words in the assigned question. This introduction strategy is on the right track—if you write one of these, you may be trying to establish the important terms of the discussion, and this move builds a bridge to the reader by offering a common, agreed-upon definition for a key idea. You may also be looking for an authority that will lend credibility to your paper. However, anyone can look a word up in the dictionary and copy down what it says—it may be far more interesting for you (and your reader) if you develop your own definition of the term in the specific context of your class and assignment, or if you use a definition from one of the sources you’ve been reading for class. Also recognize that the dictionary is also not a particularly authoritative work—it doesn’t take into account the context of your course and doesn’t offer particularly detailed information. If you feel that you must seek out an authority, try to find one that is very relevant and specific. Perhaps a quotation from a source reading might prove better? Dictionary introductions are also ineffective simply because they are so overused. Many teachers will see twenty or more papers that begin in this way, greatly decreasing the dramatic impact that any one of those papers will have.

Example: Webster’s dictionary defines slavery as “the state of being a slave,” as “the practice of owning slaves,” and as “a condition of hard work and subjection.”

4. The “dawn of man” introduction. This kind of introduction generally makes broad, sweeping statements about the relevance of this topic since the beginning of time. It is usually very general (similar to the place holder introduction) and fails to connect to the thesis. You may write this kind of introduction when you don’t have much to say—which is precisely why it is ineffective.

Example: Since the dawn of man, slavery has been a problem in human history.

5. The book report introduction. This introduction is what you had to do for your elementary school book reports. It gives the name and author of the book you are writing about, tells what the book is about, and offers other basic facts about the book. You might resort to this sort of introduction when you are trying to fill space because it’s a familiar, comfortable format. It is ineffective because it offers details that your reader already knows and that are irrelevant to the thesis.

Example: Frederick Douglass wrote his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, in the 1840s. It was published in 1986 by Penguin Books. In it, he tells the story of his life.

Remember that your diction, or word choice, while always important, is most crucial in your introductory paragraph. Boring diction could extinguish any desire a person might have to read through your discussion. Choose words that create images or express action. For more information on diction, or word choice, see Chapter 11, "Clarity, Conciseness, and Style ."

See a student's introduction below with the thesis statement underlined. What do you think of it?

Play Atari on a General Electric brand television set? Maybe watch Dynasty? Or read old newspaper articles on microfiche at the library? Thirty-five years ago, the average college student did not have many options when it came to entertainment in the form of technology. Fast-forward to the twenty-first century, and the digital age has digital technology, consumers are bombarded with endless options for how they do most everything--from buying and reading books to taking and developing photographs. In a society that is obsessed with digital means of entertainment, it is easy for the average person to become baffled. Everyone wants the newest and best digital technology, but the choices are many and the specifications are often confusing.

If you have trouble coming up with a provocative statement for your opening, it is a good idea to use a relevant, attention-grabbing quote about your topic. Use a search engine to find statements made by historical or significant figures about your subject.

Writing at Work

In your job field, you may be required to write a speech for an event, such as an awards banquet or a dedication ceremony. The introduction of a speech is similar to an essay because you have a limited amount of space to attract your audience’s attention. Using the same techniques, such as a provocative quote or an interesting statistic, is an effective way to engage your listeners. Using the funnel approach also introduces your audience to your topic and then presents your main idea in a logical manner.

Reread each sentence in Andi’s introductory paragraph. Indicate which techniques they used and comment on how each sentence is designed to attract the readers’ interest.

Image by  Ann H  from  Pexels

Writing a Conclusion

It is not unusual to want to rush when you approach your conclusion, and even experienced writers may fade. But what good writers remember is that it is vital to put just as much attention into the conclusion as in the rest of the essay. After all, a hasty ending can undermine an otherwise strong essay.

A conclusion that does not correspond to the rest of your essay, has loose ends, or is unorganized can unsettle your readers and raise doubts about the entire essay, just like a book with an ambiguous ending. However, if you have worked hard to write the introduction and body, your conclusion can often be the most logical part to compose.

Many times, writers find that they write a stronger main idea at the beginning of a conclusion on their first draft than they wrote initially. Sometimes this main idea would make a better thesis than what you may have originally had.

The Anatomy of a Strong Conclusion

Keep in mind that the ideas in your conclusion must conform to the rest of your essay. In order to tie these components together, restate your thesis at the beginning of your conclusion in other words. This helps you assemble, in an orderly fashion, all the information you have explained in the body. Rephrasing your thesis reminds your readers of the major arguments you have been trying to prove and also indicates that your essay is drawing to a close. A strong conclusion also reviews your main points in general and emphasizes the importance of the topic. It may also look to the future regarding your topic.

Conclusions are almost opposite in structure from introductions. Conclusions generally start off with your main point (a reworded thesis) and then become more general. Many times, in addition to making a final statement about your main ideas, a conclusion will “look to the future” by discussing how the author hopes this topic will be treated in the future. Other times, a conclusion includes a solution if the essay discusses a problem, or what additional study needs to be done about the topic (especially in research papers). It can also discuss how what your essay is about is relevant in other parts of the world or domains of study.

Many writers like to end their essays with a final emphatic statement. This strong closing statement will cause your readers to continue thinking about the implications of your essay; it will make your conclusion, and thus your essay, more memorable. Another powerful technique is to challenge your readers to make a change in either their thoughts or their actions. Challenging your readers to see the subject through new eyes is a powerful way to ease yourself and your readers out of the essay.

• When closing your essay, do not expressly state that you are drawing to a close. Relying on statements such as in conclusion , it is clear that , as you can see , or in summation is unnecessary and can be considered trite because the reader can obviously see that it's the end of your essay.
• Introducing new material
• Contradicting your thesis
• Changing your thesis
• Using apologies or disclaimers

Introducing new material in your conclusion has an unsettling effect on your reader. When you raise new points, you make your reader want more information, which you could not possibly provide in the limited space of your final paragraph.

Contradicting or changing your thesis statement causes your readers to think that you do not actually have a conviction about your topic. After all, you have spent several paragraphs adhering to a singular point of view. When you change sides or open up your point of view in the conclusion, your reader becomes less inclined to believe your original argument.

By apologizing for your opinion or stating that you know it is tough to digest, you are in fact admitting that even you know what you have discussed is irrelevant or unconvincing. You do not want your readers to feel this way. Effective writers stand by their thesis statement and do not stray from it.

Exercise 3\(\PageIndex{3}\)

On a separate sheet of a paper, restate your thesis from Exercise 2 of this section and then make some general concluding remarks. Next, compose a final emphatic statement. Finally, incorporate what you have written into a strong conclusion paragraph for your essay.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers

Andi incorporates some of these pointers into their conclusion by paraphrasing their thesis statement in the first sentence.

In a society fixated on the latest and smartest digital technology, a consumer can easily become confused by the countless options and specifications. The ever-changing state of digital technology challenges consumers with its updates and add-ons and expanding markets and incompatible formats and restrictions–a fact that is complicated by salesmen who want to sell them anything. In a world that is increasingly driven by instant gratification, it’s easy for people to buy the first thing they see. The solution for many people should be to avoid buying on impulse. Consumers should think about what they really need, not what is advertised.

Make sure your essay is balanced by not having an excessively long or short introduction or conclusion. Check that they match each other in length as closely as possible, and try to mirror the formula you used in each. Structural parallelism strengthens the message of your essay.

On the job you may sometimes give oral presentations based on research you have conducted. A concluding statement to an oral report contains the same elements as a written conclusion. You should wrap up your presentation by restating the

purpose of the presentation, reviewing its main points, and emphasizing the importance of the material you presented. A strong conclusion will leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Contributors and Attributions

• Adapted from Writing for Success. Provided by: The Saylor Foundation. License: CC-NC-SA 3.0
• Introductions . Provided by: UNC Writing Center. License: CC BY-NC-ND

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CONTENT

" Writing Introductions and Conclusions in an Essay ."  Authored by:  Karen Hamilton.  License:  All Rights Reserved.  License Terms:  Standard YouTube license.

This page most recently updated on June 23, 2020.

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We’re here to connect Scholars and Alumni to the people and opportunities you need to reach your full potential.

Our partnerships bridge the gap between the nation’s brightest minds and the opportunities they deserve.

Learn more about who we are and how we help students dream big on their path to, through, and beyond college.

How to Write a College Essay

Let QuestBridge help you with college essay writing tips. We cover what to write about, how to get feedback, and more!

The low-income lens in college essays

Students from low-income backgrounds may not realize that they have a unique perspective to present to admissions officers. If your identity has been shaped by financial difficulties and other obstacles, consider writing about these challenges in your college essays so that admissions officers understand the full context of your successes and academic accomplishments.

Bring us into your world. We want to know you. We want to know your truth.

Student challenges and extenuating circumstances

You may describe specific challenges that you have risen above in your college essays, such as:

• You hold significant responsibilities in your household, such as providing care for an ill family member, babysitting siblings, or preparing family meals.
• You have a part-time job to pay for school activities or household expenses.
• You live with people other than your immediate family or have been in foster care.
• You experienced homelessness or other temporary housing situations.
• A parent has passed away or is not present in your life.
• You commute a long distance to attend school.
• Your family or community is not supportive of your educational goals.
• You faced obstacles because English is not your first language.

Proper tone for college essays

If you choose to write about challenges in your life, be careful to avoid using overly critical or negative language when writing a college essay. This is a good opportunity to emphasize your emotional maturity and how challenges in your life have helped you grow as a person. You may compromise that impression if your tone is resentful or excessively dramatic.

College essay topic choice

Giving admissions officers a window into difficult experiences can present your story in your college application, but there are other topics that can also make for a strong essay (e.g. a favorite book, a community service project). Whichever angle you select to tell your story, highlight the most important things that have shaped and continue to shape your identity.

The writing process: brainstorm, outline, and draft

Writing a college essay can seem daunting at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Watch our webinar,  Write a College Essay that Stands Out , and download our worksheet as a template and foundation to help you craft a strong college essay. This college essay format may help you write your essay in a manner that goes beyond just a chronological explanation of your life or an expansion of your resume.

Essay feedback and revisions

Ask teachers, mentors, family, or friends for feedback on your essay. Reach out well in advance of any deadlines, and give them at least two weeks to provide feedback. Ask them in person if you can, but if you cannot, send them an email. If they agree to take a look, you can send them a message with your essay. Download a sample message below.

After receiving feedback, revise! You should plan on going through a few drafts. Here are some things to keep in mind: 

• You do not have to incorporate all feedback. Accept what you think is most helpful. 
• Edits and revisions should not remove your voice or completely alter your writing style. 
• Pay attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and even formatting. 
• It may help to read your essay out loud to catch mistakes you might otherwise skim over. 
• Read your college essay from an admissions officer’s perspective.
• For more college essay writing tips, continue reading the FAQs below.

Detailed FAQs about college admissions essays

Mechanics, structure, and content are vital parts of a successful essay. Our Detailed College Essays FAQs page covers each category in detail to give your essay a strong start and finish. Learn about how to write a college essay, how long a college essay should be, and more.

Seneca the Younger

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BC – A.D. 65 ), often known simply as Seneca , or Seneca the Younger , was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and humorist. He was the son of Seneca the Elder .

• 1.1.1 Hercules Furens (The Madness of Hercules)
• 1.1.2 Troades (The Trojan Women)
• 1.1.3 Medea
• 1.1.4 Phaedra
• 1.1.5 Thyestes
• 1.2.1 Letter I: On Saving Time
• 1.2.2 Letter II: On discursiveness in reading
• 1.2.3 Letter III: On true and false friendship
• 1.2.4 Letter IV: On the terrors of death
• 1.2.5 Letter V: On the Philosopher’s Mean
• 1.2.6 Letter VI: On precepts and exemplars
• 1.2.7 Letter VII: On crowds
• 1.2.8 Letter X: On living to oneself
• 1.2.9 Letter XII: On old age
• 1.2.10 Letter XIII: On Groundless Fears
• 1.2.11 Letter XV
• 1.2.12 Letter XVII: On Philosophy and Riches
• 1.2.13 Letter XVIII: On Festivals and Fasting
• 1.2.14 Letter XIX: On worldliness and retirement
• 1.2.15 Letter XX: On practicing what you preach
• 1.2.16 Letter XXII: On the futility of half-way measures
• 1.2.17 Letter XXIV: On despising death
• 1.2.18 Letter XXV: On Reformation
• 1.2.19 Letter XXVI: On Old Age and Death
• 1.2.20 Letter XXVII
• 1.2.21 Letter XXVIII: On travel as a cure for discontent
• 1.2.22 Letter XXX: On conquering the conqueror
• 1.2.23 Letter XXXI: On Siren Songs
• 1.2.24 Letter XXXII: On Progress
• 1.2.25 Letter XXXIII
• 1.2.26 Letter XXXV
• 1.2.27 Letter XXXVII: On Allegiance to Virtue
• 1.2.28 Letter XXXIX: On Noble Aspirations
• 1.2.29 Letter XLI: On the god within us
• 1.2.30 Letter XLII: On Values
• 1.2.31 Letter XLIII: On the relativity of fame
• 1.2.32 Letter XLV: On sophistical argumentation
• 1.2.33 Letter XLVII: On master and slave
• 1.2.34 Letter XLVII: On master and slave
• 1.2.35 Letter XLIX: On the Shortness of Life
• 1.2.36 Letter L: On Our Blindness and Its Cure
• 1.2.37 Letter LI: On Baiae and Morals
• 1.2.38 Letter LII: On choosing our teachers
• 1.2.39 Letter LV: On Vatia’s Villa
• 1.2.40 Letter LVI: On quiet and study
• 1.2.41 Letter LVIII: On Being
• 1.2.42 Letter LIX: On Pleasure and Joy
• 1.2.43 Letter LXI: On meeting death cheerfully
• 1.2.44 Letter LXII
• 1.2.45 Letter LXIII
• 1.2.46 Letter LXV: On the first cause
• 1.2.47 Letter LXVI: On Various Aspects of Virtue
• 1.2.48 Letter LXVII: On Ill-Health and Endurance of Suffering
• 1.2.49 Letter LXX: On the proper time to slip the cable
• 1.2.50 Letter LXXI: On the supreme good
• 1.2.51 Letter LXXIV: On Virtue as a Refuge From Worldly Distractions
• 1.2.52 Letter LXXVI: On Learning Wisdom in Old Age
• 1.2.53 Letter LXXVII: On Taking One’s Own Life
• 1.2.54 Letter LXXVIII: On the Healing Power of the Mind
• 1.2.55 Letter LXXXI: On benefits
• 1.2.56 Letter LXXXII: On the Natural Fear of Death
• 1.2.57 Letter LXXXIII: On Drunkenness
• 1.2.58 Letter LXXXIV: On gathering ideas
• 1.2.59 Letter LXXXV: On Some Vain Syllogisms
• 1.2.60 Letter LXXXVII: Some arguments in favor of the simple life
• 1.2.61 Letter LXXXVIII: On liberal and vocational studies
• 1.2.62 Letter XC: On the Part Played by Philosophy in the Progress of Man
• 1.2.63 Letter XCI: On the Lesson to be Drawn From the Burning of Lyons
• 1.2.64 Letter XCII: On the Happy Life
• 1.2.65 Letter XCV: On the usefulness of basic principles
• 1.2.66 Letter XCVI
• 1.2.67 Letter XCVIII: On the Fickleness of Fortune
• 1.2.68 Letter XCIX: On Consolation to the Bereaved
• 1.2.69 Letter CI: On the Futility of Planning Ahead
• 1.2.70 Letter CIV: On Care of Health and Peace of Mind
• 1.2.71 Letter CV: On Facing the World With Confidence
• 1.2.72 Letter CVI: On the corporeality of virtue
• 1.2.73 Letter CVII: On Obedience to the Universal Will
• 1.2.74 Letter CVIII: On the Approaches to Philosophy
• 1.2.75 Letter CIX: On the Fellowship of Wise Men
• 1.2.76 Letter CX: On True and False Riches
• 1.2.77 Letter CXV: On the Superficial Blessings
• 1.2.78 Letter CXVI: On Self-Control
• 1.2.79 Letter CXVI: On Real Ethics as Superior to Syllogistic Subtleties
• 1.2.80 Letter CXX: More About Virtue
• 1.2.81 Letter CXXIII: On the conflict between pleasure and virtue
• 1.3 De Superstitione (On Superstition)
• 1.4 Moral Essays
• 1.5 On Tranquility of the Mind
• 1.6 Seneca: Dialogues
• 1.7 Dialogi de Tranquillitate Animi (Concerning Peace of Mind)
• 1.8 Other works
• 3 Misattributed
• 4 Quotes about Seneca
• 5 External links

Quotes [ edit ]

• As quoted from Seneca: Moral and Political Essays (1995), Cambridge University Press, p. 32

Tragedies [ edit ]

Hercules furens (the madness of hercules) [ edit ].

• line 84; ( Juno )
• lines 251-253; ( Amphitryon )
• Alternate translation: Successful and fortunate crime is called virtue. (translator unknown)
• Alternate translation: Might makes right. (translator unknown).
• line 276; ( Amphitryon )
• In this line, Seneca adapts a well-known saying "Inveniam viam aut faciam" (commonly attributed to the Carthaginian general Hannibal ) for use in his drama
• lines 325-328; ( Megara ).
• lines 340-341; ( Lycus ).
• Alternate translation: He who boasts of his descent, praises the deeds of another (translator unknown).
• line 353; ( Lycus )
• Alternate translation: To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power (translator unknown).
• lines 403-405; ( Lycus ).
• line 407; ( Lycus ).
• line 426; ( Megara ).
• Alternate translation: Who can be compelled does not know how to die.
• lines 656-657; ( Amphitryon )
• Alternate translation: Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember. (translator unknown).

Troades (The Trojan Women) [ edit ]

• line 291; ( Agamemnon )
• Alternate translation: He who does not prevent a crime, when he can, encourages it. (translator unknown).
• line 329; ( Pyrrhus )
• Alternate translation: Mercy often means giving death, not life. (trans. Emily Wilson)
• lines 333-336
• Alternate translation: Pyrrhus: No law demands mercy to prisoners Agamemnon: Though the law forbids it not, yet decency forbids it. Pyrrhus: The victor is at liberty to do whatever he likes. Agamemnon: To whom much is allowed, it is least suitable to act wantonly.

Medea [ edit ]

• Line 155; ( Medea )
• Line 163; ( Medea )
• Who can hope for nothing should despair of nothing. (trans. A. J. Boyle)
• Line 196; ( Medea )
• Alternate translations: Unjust dominion cannot be eternal.
• Alternate translation: Authority founded on injustice is never of long duration.
• Lines 500-501; ( Medea )
• Alternate translation: Who profits by a sin has done the sin.
• Alternate translation: He who profits by crime commits it.

Phaedra [ edit ]

• line 607; ( Phaedra ) [1]
• Alternate translation: We give voice to our trivial cares, but suffer enormities in silence
• line 721; ( Nurse )
• Alternate translation: One crime has to be concealed by another.
• line 735; ( Nurse )
• Alternate translation: Impurity is caused by attitude, not events. (trans. Emily Wilson)

Thyestes [ edit ]

• line 380; ( Chorus )
• Alternate translation: A good mind possesses a kingdom. (translator unknown).
• lines 401-403; ( Chorus ).
• Alternate translation: Death weighs on him who is known to all, but dies unknown to himself. ( The Philisophical Life by James Miller).
• line 572 ( Chorus ).

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius) [ edit ]

Letter I: On Saving Time [ edit ]

• What man can you show me who places any value on his time, who reckons the worth of each day, who understands that he is dying daily?
• For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years be behind us are in death's hands.
• Lay hold of today’s task, and you will not need to depend so much upon tomorrow’s. While we are postponing, life speeds by.
• What fools these mortals be!
• This quote is often directly attributed to Seneca, but he is referring to lines 368-369 of Works and Days by the Greek poet Hesiod  : Take your fill when the cask is first opened and when it is nearly spent, but midways be sparing: it is poor saving when you come to the lees. (translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White)
• Alternate translation: Thrift comes too late when you find it at the bottom of your purse. (translator unknown)
• Alternate translation: It is too late to be thrifty when the bottom has been reached. (translator unknown).

Letter II: On discursiveness in reading [ edit ]

• The primary indication, to my thinking, of a well-ordered mind is a man’s ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company.

Letter III: On true and false friendship [ edit ]

Letter iv: on the terrors of death [ edit ].

• Most men ebb and flow in wretchedness between the fear of death and the hardships of life; they are unwilling to live, and yet they do not know how to die.
• No man has ever been so far advanced by Fortune that she did not threaten him as greatly as she had previously indulged him.

Letter V: On the Philosopher’s Mean [ edit ]

• I commend you and rejoice in the fact that you are persistent in your studies, and that, putting all else aside, you make it each day your endeavour to become a better man.

Letter VI: On precepts and exemplars [ edit ]

• Alternate translation: Teaching by precept is a long road, but short and beneficial is the way by example.
• Seneca is quoting Hecato.

Letter VII: On crowds [ edit ]

• But both courses are to be avoided; you should not copy the bad simply because they are many, nor should you hate the many because they are unlike you.

Letter X: On living to oneself [ edit ]

Letter xii: on old age [ edit ], letter xiii: on groundless fears [ edit ].

• ... the only contestant who can confidently enter the lists is the man who has seen his own blood, who has felt his teeth rattle beneath his opponent’s fist, who has been tripped and felt the full force of his adversary’s charge, who has been downed in body but not in spirit, one who, as often as he falls, rises again with greater defiance than ever.
• Let another say. “Perhaps the worst will not happen.” You yourself must say. “Well, what if it does happen? Let us see who wins! Perhaps it happens for my best interests; it may be that such a death will shed credit upon my life.”
• Socrates was ennobled by the hemlock draught. Wrench from Cato's hand his sword, the vindicator of liberty, and you deprive him of the greatest share of his glory.
• There are more things, Lucilius, likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

Letter XV [ edit ]

• The old Romans had a custom which survived even into my lifetime. They would add to the opening words of a letter: "If you are well, it is well; I also am well." Persons like ourselves would do well to say. "If you are studying philosophy, it is well." For this is just what "being well" means. Without philosophy the mind is sickly.

Letter XVII: On Philosophy and Riches [ edit ]

• There is no reason why poverty should call us away from philosophy—no, nor even actual want. For when hastening after wisdom, we must endure even hunger. Men have endured hunger when their towns were besieged, and what other reward for their endurance did they obtain than that they did not fall under the conqueror’s power? How much greater is the promise of the prize of everlasting liberty, and the assurance that we need fear neither God nor man! Even though we starve, we must reach that goal.
• Armies have endured all manner of want, have lived on roots, and have resisted hunger by means of food too revolting to mention. All this they have suffered to gain a kingdom, and—what is more marvellous—to gain a kingdom that will be another’s. Will any man hesitate to endure poverty, in order that he may free his mind from madness?

Letter XVIII: On Festivals and Fasting [ edit ]

• If you would not have a man flinch when the crisis comes, train him before it comes.

Letter XIX: On worldliness and retirement [ edit ]

Letter xx: on practicing what you preach [ edit ].

• Prove your words by your deeds.
• Here, Seneca uses the same observation that Sallust made regarding friendship (in his historical account of the Catilinarian conspiracy, Bellum Catilinae [XX.4]) to define wisdom.
• Press on, therefore, as you have begun; perhaps you will be led to perfection, or to a point which you alone understand is still short of perfection.

Letter XXII: On the futility of half-way measures [ edit ]

Letter xxiv: on despising death [ edit ].

• It is indeed foolish to be unhappy now because you may be unhappy at some future time.
• You will thus understand that what you fear is either insignificant or short-lived.
• Mucius put his hand into the fire. It is painful to be burned; but how much more painful to inflict such suffering upon oneself!
• [Mucius] might have accomplished something more successful in that camp, but never anything more brave.
• It was a great deed to conquer Carthage, but a greater deed to conquer death.
• Alternate translation: You will understand that there is nothing dreadful in this except fear itself. (translator unknown).

Letter XXV: On Reformation [ edit ]

• I may become a poor man; I shall then be one among many. I may be exiled; I shall then regard myself as born in the place to which I shall be sent. They may put me in chains. What then? Am I free from bonds now? Behold this clogging burden of a body, to which nature has fettered me! “I shall die,” you say; you mean to say “I shall cease to run the risk of sickness; I shall cease to run the risk of imprisonment; I shall cease to run the risk of death.”
• I do not know whether I shall make progress; but I should prefer to lack success rather than to lack faith.

Letter XXVI: On Old Age and Death [ edit ]

• You do not know where death awaits you; so be ready for it everywhere.

Letter XXVII [ edit ]

• "What," say you, "are you giving me advice? Indeed, have you already advised yourself, already corrected your own faults? Is this the reason why you have leisure to reform other men?" No, I am not so shameless as to undertake to cure my fellow-men when I am ill myself. I am, however, discussing with you troubles which concern us both, and sharing the remedy with you, just as if we were lying ill in the same hospital.
• Virtue alone affords everlasting and peace-giving joy ; even if some obstacle arise, it is but like an intervening cloud, which floats beneath the sun but never prevails against it.

Letter XXVIII: On travel as a cure for discontent [ edit ]

• You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate.
• You must lay aside the burdens of the mind; until you do this, no place will satisfy you.

Letter XXX: On conquering the conqueror [ edit ]

• He who does not wish to die cannot have wished to live.

Letter XXXI: On Siren Songs [ edit ]

• I forbid you to be cast down or depressed. It is not enough if you do not shrink from work; ask for it.

Letter XXXII: On Progress [ edit ]

• Would you know what makes men greedy for the future? It is because no one has yet found himself.

Letter XXXIII [ edit ]

• That is why we give to children a proverb, or that which the Greeks call Chreia , to be learned by heart; that sort of thing can be comprehended by the young mind, which cannot as yet hold more. For a man, however, whose progress is definite, to chase after choice extracts and to prop his weakness by the best known and the briefest sayings and to depend upon his memory, is disgraceful; it is time for him to lean on himself. He should make such maxims and not memorize them. For it is disgraceful even for an old man, or one who has sighted old age, to have a note-book knowledge. "This is what Zeno said." But what have you yourself said? "This is the opinion of Cleanthes." But what is your own opinion? How long shall you march under another man's orders? Take command, and utter some word which posterity will remember. Put forth something from your own stock.
• Besides, he who follows another not only discovers nothing but is not even investigating.
• What then? Shall I not follow in the footsteps of my predecessors? I shall indeed use the old road, but if I find one that makes a shorter cut and is smoother to travel, I shall open the new road. Men who have made these discoveries before us are not our masters, but our guides. Truth lies open for all; it has not yet been monopolized. And there is plenty of it left even for posterity to discover.

Letter XXXV [ edit ]

• Friendship is always helpful, but love sometimes even does harm

Letter XXXVII: On Allegiance to Virtue [ edit ]

• You must die erect and unyielding.
• It is disgraceful, instead of proceeding ahead, to be carried along, and then suddenly, amid the whirlpool of events, to ask in a dazed way: “How did I get into this condition?”

Letter XXXIX: On Noble Aspirations [ edit ]

• It is the quality of a great soul to scorn great things and to prefer that which is ordinary rather than that which is too great.
• Then it is that the height of unhappiness is reached, when men are not only attracted, but even pleased, by shameful things, and when there is no longer any room for a cure, now that those things which once were vices have become habits.

Letter XLI: On the god within us [ edit ]

• You are doing an excellent thing, one which will be wholesome for you, if, as you write me, you are persisting in your effort to attain sound understanding; it is foolish to pray for this when you can acquire it from yourself. We do not need to uplift our hands towards heaven, or to beg the keeper of a temple to let us approach his idol's ear, as if in this way our prayers were more likely to be heard. A god is near you, with you, and in you. This is what I mean, Lucilius: there sits a holy spirit within us, one who marks our good and bad deeds, and is our a guardian.
• A golden bit does not make a better horse.
• If you see a man who is unterrified in the midst of dangers, untouched by desires, happy in adversity, peaceful amid the storm, who looks down upon men from a higher plane, and views the gods on a footing of equality, will not a feeling of reverence for him steal over you, will you not say: “This quality is too great and too lofty to be regarded as resembling this petty body in which it dwells? A divine power has descended upon that man.”
• No man ought to glory except in that which is his own.
• Man is a reasoning animal.

Letter XLII: On Values [ edit ]

• Very often the things that cost nothing cost us the most heavily; I can show you many objects the quest and acquisition of which have wrested freedom from our hands.
• “You will have less money.” Yes, and less trouble. “Less influence.” Yes, and less envy.
• He that owns himself has lost nothing. But how few men are blessed with ownership of self!

Letter XLIII: On the relativity of fame [ edit ]

Letter xlv: on sophistical argumentation [ edit ].

• At any rate, if you wish to sift doubtful meanings of this kind, teach us that the happy man is not he whom the crowd deems happy, namely, he into whose coffers mighty sums have flowed, but he whose possessions are all in his soul, who is upright and exalted, who spurns inconstancy, who sees no man with whom he wishes to change places, who rates men only at their value as men, who takes Nature for his teacher, conforming to her laws and living as she commands, whom no violence can deprive of his possessions, who turns evil into good, is unerring in judgment, unshaken, unafraid, who may be moved by force but never moved to distraction, whom Fortune when she hurls at him with all her might the deadliest missile in her armoury, may graze, though rarely, but never wound.

Letter XLVII: On master and slave [ edit ]

• “They are slaves,” people declare. Nay, rather they are men. “Slaves!” No, comrades. “Slaves!” No, they are unpretentious friends. “Slaves!” No, they are our fellow-slaves, if one reflects that Fortune has equal rights over slaves and free men alike.
• This can be related to other expressions on the ethics of reciprocity, often referred to as the variants of the Golden Rule .
• I propose to value them according to their character, and not according to their duties. Each man acquires his character for himself, but accident assigns his duties.
• “He is a slave.” His soul, however, may be that of a freeman. “He is a slave.” But shall that stand in his way? Show me a man who is not a slave; one is a slave to lust, another to greed, another to ambition, and all men are slaves to fear.
• Would you really know what philosophy offers to humanity? Philosophy offers counsel.

Letter XLIX: On the Shortness of Life [ edit ]

• Show me that the good in life does not depend upon life’s length, but upon the use we make of it; also, that it is possible, or rather usual, for a man who has lived long to have lived too little. Say to me when I lie down to sleep: “You may not wake again!” And when I have waked: “You may not go to sleep again!” Say to me when I go forth from my house: “You may not return!” And when I return: “You may never go forth again!”

Letter L: On Our Blindness and Its Cure [ edit ]

• For what else are you busied with except improving yourself every day, laying aside some error, and coming to understand that the faults which you attribute to circumstances are in yourself?

Letter LI: On Baiae and Morals [ edit ]

• And what is freedom, you ask? It means not being a slave to any circumstance, to any constraint, to any chance; it means compelling Fortune to enter the lists on equal terms.
• Would not anyone who is a man have his slumbers broken by a war-trumpet rather than by a chorus of serenaders?

Letter LII: On choosing our teachers [ edit ]

Letter lv: on vatia’s villa [ edit ].

• Our luxuries have condemned us to weakness; we have ceased to be able to do that which we have long declined to do.

Letter LVI: On quiet and study [ edit ]

• Alternate translation: Nothing is so certain as that the evils of idleness can be shaken off by hard work. (translator unknown).

Letter LVIII: On Being [ edit ]

• We are weak, watery beings standing in the midst of unrealities; therefore let us turn our minds to the things that are everlasting.

Letter LIX: On Pleasure and Joy [ edit ]

• But the wise man is fortified against all inroads; he is alert; he will not retreat before the attack of poverty, or of sorrow, or of disgrace, or of pain. He will walk undaunted both against them and among them.
• The wise man is joyful, happy and calm, unshaken, he lives on a plane with the gods.
• That which Fortune has not given, she cannot take away.

Letter LXI: On meeting death cheerfully [ edit ]

• I am endeavouring to live every day as if it were a complete life.

Letter LXII [ edit ]

• The shortest way to wealth is through the contempt of wealth.

Letter LXIII [ edit ]

• Fortune has taken away, but Fortune has given.
• Let us greedily enjoy our friends, because we do not know how long this privilege will be ours.
• Translation: Nothing becomes so offensive so quickly as grief. When fresh it finds someone to console it, but when it becomes chronic, it is ridiculed and rightly.
• Whatever can happen at any time can happen today.

Letter LXV: On the first cause [ edit ]

Letter LXVI: On Various Aspects of Virtue [ edit ]

• Great also are the souls of the defenders—men who know that, as long as the path to death lies open, the blockade is not complete, men who breathe their last in the arms of liberty.
• Allow me, excellent Lucilius, to utter a still bolder word: if any goods could be greater than others, I should prefer those which seem harsh to those which are mild and alluring, and should pronounce them greater. For it is more of an accomplishment to break one’s way through difficulties than to keep joy within bounds.
• There stood Mucius, despising the enemy and despising the fire, and watched his hand as it dripped blood over the fire on his enemy’s altar, until Porsenna, envying the fame of the hero whose punishment he was advocating, ordered the fire to be removed against the will of the victim.
• I cannot help believing that Mucius was all the more lucky because he manipulated the flames as calmly as if he were holding out his hand to the manipulator. He had wiped out all his previous mistakes; he finished the war unarmed and maimed; and with that stump of a hand he conquered two kings.

Letter LXVII: On Ill-Health and Endurance of Suffering [ edit ]

• I should prefer to be free from torture; but if the time comes when it must be endured, I shall desire that I may conduct myself therein with bravery, honour, and courage. Of course I prefer that war should not occur; but if war does occur, I shall desire that I may nobly endure the wounds, the starvation, and all that the exigency of war brings. Nor am I so mad as to crave illness; but if I must suffer illness, I shall desire that I may do nothing which shows lack of restraint, and nothing that is unmanly. The conclusion is, not that hardships are desirable, but that virtue is desirable, which enables us patiently to endure hardships.
• Now a life of honour includes various kinds of conduct; it may include the chest in which Regulus was confined, or the wound of Cato which was torn open by Cato’s own hand, or the exile of Rutilius, or the cup of poison which removed Socrates from gaol to heaven .
• Clothe yourself with a hero’s courage, and withdraw for a little space from the opinions of the common man. Form a proper conception of the image of virtue, a thing of exceeding beauty and grandeur; this image is not to be worshipped by us with incense or garlands, but with sweat and blood.
• “I should prefer that Fortune keep me in her camp rather than in the lap of luxury. If I am tortured, but bear it bravely, all is well; if I die, but die bravely, it is also well.”
• Why should I not regard this as desirable—not because the fire, burns me, but because it does not overcome me?

Letter LXX: On the proper time to slip the cable [ edit ]

Letter lxxi: on the supreme good [ edit ].

• Alternate translation: If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. (translator unknown).
• These actions are not essentially difficult; it is we ourselves that are soft and flabby.
• He knows his own strength; he knows that he was born to carry burdens.
• Do you ask me whom I have conquered? Neither the Persians, nor the far-off Medes, nor any warlike race that lies beyond the Dahae; not these, but greed, ambition, and the fear of death that has conquered the conquerors of the world.

Letter LXXIV: On Virtue as a Refuge From Worldly Distractions [ edit ]

• But no wall can be erected against Fortune which she cannot take by storm; let us strengthen our inner defences. If the inner part be safe, man can be attacked, but never captured.

Letter LXXVI: On Learning Wisdom in Old Age [ edit ]

• But the wise man knows that all things are in store for him. Whatever happens, he says: “I knew it.”
• As long as you live, keep learning how to live.

Letter LXXVII: On Taking One’s Own Life [ edit ]

• Would you not think him an utter fool who wept because he was not alive a thousand years ago? And is he not just as much of a fool who weeps because he will not be alive a thousand years from now? It is all the same; you will not be, and you were not. Neither of these periods of time belongs to you.
• So near at hand is freedom, and is anyone still a slave?
• What else is there which you would regret to have taken from you? Friends? But who can be a friend to you? Country? What? Do you think enough of your country to be late to dinner? The light of the sun? You would extinguish it, if you could; for what have you ever done that was fit to be seen in the light?

Letter LXXVIII: On the Healing Power of the Mind [ edit ]

• Seneca, Ad Lucilium epistulae morales, transl. Richard M. Grummere, 1920 ed., Epistle LXXVIII, pp. 181-182
• There is no sorrow in the world, when we have escaped from the fear of death.
• You will die, not because you are ill, but because you are alive; even when you have been cured, thesame end awaits you; when you have recovered, it will be not death, but ill health, that you have escaped.
• No man can suffer both severely and for a long time; Nature, who loves us most tenderly, has so constituted us as to make pain either endurable or short.
• “It is nothing—a trifling matter at most; keep a stout heart and it will soon cease”; then in thinking it slight, you will make it slight. Everything depends on opinion; ambition, luxury, greed, hark back to opinion. It is according to opinion that we suffer.
• Two elements must therefore be rooted out once for all—the fear of future suffering, and the recollection of past suffering; since the latter no longer concerns me, and the former concerns me not yet.
• Is it for this purpose that we are strong—that we may have light burdens to bear?
• Meanwhile, hold fast to this thought, and grip it close: yield not to adversity; trust not to prosperity; keep before your eyes the full scope of Fortune’s power, as if she would surely do whatever is in her power to do.

Letter LXXXI: On benefits [ edit ]

• Alternate translation: The spirit in which a thing is given determines that in which the debt is acknowledged; it's the intention, not the face-value of the gift, that's weighed. (translator unknown).

Letter LXXXII: On the Natural Fear of Death [ edit ]

• Seneca is citing [ Marcus Calpurnius Flamma, a Roman general in the First Punic War ]

Letter LXXXIII: On Drunkenness [ edit ]

Letter lxxxiv: on gathering ideas [ edit ].

Letter LXXXV: On Some Vain Syllogisms [ edit ]

• But he has no fear; unconquered he looks down from a lofty height upon his sufferings.
• Thus no fortune, no external circumstance, can shut off the wise man from action. For the very thing which engages his attention prevents him from attending to other things. He is ready for either outcome: if it brings goods, he controls them; if evils, he conquers them.
• So the wise man will develop virtue, if he may, in the midst of wealth, or, if not, in poverty; if possible, in his own country—if not, in exile; if possible, as a commander—if not, as a common soldier; if possible, in sound health—if not, enfeebled. Whatever fortune he finds, he will accomplish therefrom something noteworthy.

Letter LXXXVII: Some arguments in favor of the simple life [ edit ]

• Seneca is here describing arguments used by 'certain men,' not stating his own opinion.
• Alternate translation: A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. (translator unknown).

Letter LXXXVIII: On liberal and vocational studies [ edit ]

• Just as an enemy is more dangerous to a retreating army, so every trouble that fortune brings attacks us all the harder if we yield and turn our backs.

Letter XC: On the Part Played by Philosophy in the Progress of Man [ edit ]

• A thatched roof once covered free men; under marble and gold dwells slavery.

Letter XCI: On the Lesson to be Drawn From the Burning of Lyons [ edit ]

• Alexander, king of Macedon, began to study geometry; unhappy man, because he would thereby learn how puny was that earth of which he had seized but a fraction! Unhappy man, I repeat, because he was bound to understand that he was bearing a false title. For who can be “great” in that which is puny?
• Imagine that nature is saying to us: “Those things of which you complain are the same for all. I cannot give anything easier to any man, but whoever wishes will make things easier for himself.” In what way? By equanimity. You must suffer pain, and thirst, and hunger, and old age too, if a longer stay among men shall be granted you; you must be sick, and you must suffer loss and death.

Letter XCII: On the Happy Life [ edit ]

• That man, I declare, is happy whom nothing makes less strong than he is; he keeps to the heights, leaning upon none but himself; for one who sustains himself by any prop may fall.
• For no man is free who is a slave to his body.

Letter XCV: On the usefulness of basic principles [ edit ]

• Seneca himself states that he is quoting a 'common saying' here.
• Alternate translation: Do not ask for what you will wish you had not got. (translator unknown).
• Lines 30-32.
• As our acts and our thoughts are, so will our lives be.

Letter XCVI [ edit ]

• And yet life, Lucilius, is really a battle.
• For this reason those who are tossed about at sea, who proceed uphill and downhill over toilsome crags and heights, who go on campaigns that bring the greatest danger, are heroes and front-rank fighters; but persons who live in rotten luxury and ease while others toil, are mere turtle-doves safe only because men despise them.

Letter XCVIII: On the Fickleness of Fortune [ edit ]

• “All the Good of mortals is mortal.”
• “Of all these experiences that seem so frightful, none is insuperable. Separate trials have been over- come by many: fire by Mucius, crucifixion by Regulus, poison by Socrates, exile by Rutilius, and a sword-inflicted death by Cato; therefore, let us also overcome something.”
• Pain he endures, death he awaits.

Letter XCIX: On Consolation to the Bereaved [ edit ]

• Whoever complains about the death of anyone, is complaining that he was a man. Everyone is bound by the same terms: he who is privileged to be born, is destined to die.
• Accept in an unruffled spirit that which is inevitable.

Letter CI: On the Futility of Planning Ahead [ edit ]

• But how foolish it is to set out one’s life, when one is not even owner of the morrow!
• Therefore, my dear Lucilius, begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.
• The point is, not how long you live, but how nobly you live. And often this living nobly means that you cannot live long.

Letter CIV: On Care of Health and Peace of Mind [ edit ]

• Socrates is reported to have replied, when a certain person complained of having received no benefit from his travels: “It serves you right! You travelled in your own company!”
• What profit is there in crossing the sea and in going from one city to another? If you would escape your troubles, you need not another place but another personality. Perhaps you have reached Athens, or perhaps Rhodes; choose any state you fancy, how does it matter what its character may be? You will be bringing to it your own.
• “New friends, however, will not be the same.” No, nor will you yourself remain the same; you change with every day and every hour.
• Alternate translation: Hope not without despair, despair not without hope. (translated by Zachariah Rush).
• Or, if you enjoy living with Greeks also, spend your time with Socrates and with Zeno: the former will show you how to die if it be necessary; the latter how to die before it is necessary. Live with Chrysippus, with Posidonius: they will make you acquainted with things earthly and things heavenly; they will bid you work hard over something more than neat turns of language and phrases mouthed forth for the entertainment of listeners; they will bid you be stout of heart and rise superior to threats. The only harbour safe from the seething storms of this life is scorn of the future, a firm stand, a readiness to receive Fortune’s missiles full in the breast, neither skulking nor turning the back.
• This spirit thrusts itself forward, confident of commendation and esteem. It is superior to all, monarch of all it surveys; hence it should be subservient to nothing, finding no task too heavy, and nothing strong enough to weigh down the shoulders of a man.
• But how much more highly do I think of these men! They can do these things, but decline to do them. To whom that ever tried have these tasks proved false? To what man did they not seem easier in the doing? Our lack of confidence is not the result of difficulty. The difficulty comes from our lack of confidence.
• He maintained this attitude up to the very end, and no man ever saw Socrates too much elated or too much depressed. Amid all the disturbance of Fortune, he was undisturbed.
• Do you desire another case? Take that of the younger Marcus Cato, with whom Fortune dealt in a more hostile and more persistent fashion. But he withstood her, on all occasions, and in his last moments, at the point of death, showed that a brave man can live in spite of Fortune, can die in spite of her. His whole life was passed either in civil warfare, or under a political regime which was soon to breed civil war.
• No one ever saw Cato change, no matter how often the state changed: he kept himself the same in all circumstances—in the praetorship, in defeat, under accusation, in his province, on the platform, in the army, in death.
• And this is the vote which [Cato] casts concerning them both: “If Caesar wins, I slay myself; if Pompey, I go into exile.” What was there for a man to fear who, whether in defeat or in victory, had assigned to himself a doom which might have been assigned to him by his enemies in their utmost rage? So he died by his own decision.
• You see that man can endure toil: Cato, on foot, led an army through African deserts. You see that thirst can be endured: he marched over sun-baked hills, dragging the remains of a beaten army and with no train of supplies, undergoing lack of water and wearing a heavy suit of armour; always the last to drink of the few springs which they chanced to find. You see that honour, and dishonour too, can be despised: for they report that on the very day when Cato was defeated at the elections, he played a game of ball. You see also that man can be free from fear of those above him in rank: for Cato attacked Caesar and Pompey simultaneously, at a time when none dared fall foul of the one without endeavouring to oblige the other. You see that death can be scorned as well as exile: Cato inflicted exile upon himself and finally death, and war all the while.
• If you set a high value on liberty, you must set a low value on everything else.

Letter CV: On Facing the World With Confidence [ edit ]

• Besides, he who is feared, fears also; no one has been able to arouse terror and live in peace of mind.

Letter CVI: On the corporeality of virtue [ edit ]

• Alternate translation: Not for life, but for school do we learn. (translator unknown)
• Alternate translation: We are taught for the schoolroom, not for life. (translator unknown).

Letter CVII: On Obedience to the Universal Will [ edit ]

• And we cannot change this order of things; but what we can do is to acquire stout hearts, worthy of good men, thereby courageously enduring chance and placing ourselves in harmony with Nature.
• Seneca: Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, Letter CVII: On Obedience to the Universal Will, sentence 9 . In: Seneca. Epistulae morales ad Lucilium. With an english tranaslation by Richard Mott Gummere, Ph.D. of Havervord College. In three volumes. A Loeb Classical Library edition; volume 1 published 1917; volume 2 published 1920; volume 3 published 1925. London: William Heinemann. New York: G.P. Putnams.
• Translation: It is best to bear what cannot be changed.
• Seneca, Moral Letters , 107. 9. As quoted in: Frank Breslin (Retired High-School Teacher) (December 21, 2017): Teaching Latin Quotations -- Part 1: The Art of Survival. In: The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022.
• Alternate translation: It is best to endure what you cannot change. Translated by Twitter user Melanie Antao in a tweet from July 3, 2012. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022.

Letter CVIII: On the Approaches to Philosophy [ edit ]

• They have been spoken by Plato, spoken by Zeno, spoken by Chrysippus or by Posidonius, and by a whole host of Stoics as numerous as excellent. I shall show you how men can prove their words to be their own: it is by doing what they have been talking about.

Letter CIX: On the Fellowship of Wise Men [ edit ]

You assured me that I should be unterrified though swords were flashing round me, though the point of the blade were grazing my throat; you assured me that I should be at ease though fires were blazing round me, or though a sudden whirlwind should snatch up my ship and carry it over all the sea. Now make good for me such a course of treatment that I may despise pleasure and glory. Thereafter you shall teach me to work out complicated problems, to settle doubtful points, to see through that which is not clear; teach me now what it is necessary for me to know!

Letter CX: On True and False Riches [ edit ]

Learn to be content with little, and cry out with courage and with greatness of soul: ‘We have water, we have porridge; let us compete in happiness with Jupiter himself.’

Letter CXV: On the Superficial Blessings [ edit ]

• Let words proceed as they please, provided only your soul keeps its own sure order, provided your soul is great and holds unruffled to its ideals, pleased with itself on account of the very things which displease others, a soul that makes life the test of its progress, and believes that its knowledge is in exact proportion to its freedom from desire and its freedom from fear.

Letter CXVI: On Self-Control [ edit ]

And do you know why we have not the power to attain this Stoic ideal? It is because we refuse to believe in our power. Nay, of a surety, there is something else which plays a part: it is because we are in love with our vices; we uphold them and prefer to make excuses for them rather than shake them off. We mortals have been endowed with sufficient strength by nature, if only we use this strength, if only we concentrate our powers and rouse them all to help us or at least not to hinder us. The reason is unwillingness, the excuse, inability.

Letter CXVI: On Real Ethics as Superior to Syllogistic Subtleties [ edit ]

• Tell me what to avoid, what to seek, by what studies to strengthen my tottering mind, how I may rebuff the waves that strike me abeam and drive me from my course, by what means I may be able to cope with all my evils, and by what means I can be rid of the calamities that have plunged in upon me and those into which I myself have plunged. Teach me how to bear the burden of sorrow without a groan on my part, and how to bear prosperity without making others groan; also, how to avoid waiting for the ultimate and inevitable end, and to beat a retreat of my own free will, when it seems proper to me to do so.
• Why then do you occupy me with the words rather than with the works of wisdom? Make me braver, make me calmer, make me the equal of Fortune, make me her superior.

Letter CXX: More About Virtue [ edit ]

• I will tell you: that perfect man, who has attained virtue, never cursed his luck, and never received the results of chance with dejection; he believed that he was citizen and soldier of the universe, accepting his tasks as if they were his orders. Whatever happened, he did not spurn it, as if it were evil and borne in upon him by hazard; he accepted it as if it were assigned to be his duty. “Whatever this may be,”he says, “it is my lot; it is rough and it is hard, but I must work diligently at the task.”

Letter CXXIII: On the conflict between pleasure and virtue [ edit ]

De superstitione (on superstition) [ edit ].

• Apostle Paul: A Polite Bribe by Robert Orlando; p. 108

Moral Essays [ edit ]

• De Beneficiis (On Benefits): Book 2, cap. 22, line 1.
• De Providentia (On Providence), 2.4
• De Providentia (On Providence), 2.6; translation by John W. Basore
• De Providentia (On Providence), 2.10; translation by John W. Basore
• De Providentia (On Providence), 4.8, translated by Aubrey Stewart
• De Providentia (On Providence), 5.9, translated by Aubrey Stewart
• Alternate translation: Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men. (translator unknown).
• De Ira (On Anger): Book 1, cap. 16, line 6.
• De Ira (On Anger): Book 2, cap. 15, line 4
• From The Imitation of Christ , Liber I, cap. 20 (Of the Love of Solitude and Silence), line 2 : by Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471).
• De Ira (On Anger): Book 2, cap. 22, line 2
• Alternate translation: Time discovers truth. (translator unknown).
• De Ira (On Anger): Book 2, cap. 28, line 7.
• De Ira (On Anger): Book 2, cap. 28, line 8
• De Ira (On Anger): Book 2, cap. 33, line 6
• Alternate translation: Men whose spirit has grown arrogant from the great favour of fortune have this most serious fault – those whom they have injured they also hate. (translation by John W. Basore)
• Alternate translation: Whom they have injured they also hate. (translator unknown).
• De Ira (On Anger): Book 2, cap. 34, line 5.
• De Ira (On Anger); Book III, Chapter V
• De Vita Beata (On the Happy Life): cap. 2, line 2
• Alternate translation: I do not distinguish by the eye, but by the mind, which is the proper judge of the man. (translator unknown).
• De Vita Beata (On the Happy Life): cap. 3, line 4
• As quoted in Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays on Life, Literature, and Manners (1864), Harper & brothers, Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, p. 174 (in the essay The Sympathetic Temperment ).
• De Brevitate Vitae ("On the Shortness of Life", trans. John W. Basore), Ch. 1
• De Brevitate Vitae ("On the Shortness of Life", trans. C. D. N. Costa), Ch. 7

On Tranquility of the Mind [ edit ]

• We are all chained to fortune: the chain of one is made of gold, and wide, while that of another is short and rusty. But what difference does it make? The same prison surrounds all of us, and even those who have bound others are bound themselves; unless perchance you think that a chain on the left side is lighter. Honors bind one man, wealth another; nobility oppresses some, humility others; some are held in subjection by an external power, while others obey the tyrant within; banishments keep some in one place, the priesthood others. All life is slavery. Therefore each one must accustom himself to his own condition and complain about it as little as possible, and lay hold of whatever good is to be found near him. Nothing is so bitter that a calm mind cannot find comfort in it. Small tablets, because of the writer's skill, have often served for many purposes, and a clever arrangement has often made a very narrow piece of land habitable. Apply reason to difficulties; harsh circumstances can be softened, narrow limits can be widened, and burdensome things can be made to press less severely on those who bear them cleverly.
• Chapter 11, Section 4
• I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.
• Chapter 11, Section 8
• Virtue runs no risk of becoming contemptible by being exposed to view, and it is better to be despised for simplicity than to be tormented by continual hypocrisy.
• Our minds must have relaxation: rested, they will rise up better and keener. Just as we must not force fertile fields (for uninterrupted production will quickly exhaust them), so continual labor will break the power of our minds. They will recover their strength, however, after they have had a little freedom and relaxation.
• In Latin, nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit (There is no great genius without some touch of madness). This passage by Seneca is the source most often cited in crediting Aristotle with this thought, but in Problemata xxx. 1, Aristotle says: 'Why is it that all those who have become eminent in philosophy or politics or poetry or the arts are clearly melancholic?' The quote by Plato is from the Dialogue Phaedrus (245a).

Seneca: Dialogues [ edit ]

(translated by Aubrey Stewart, (1887-1898) [ full text ])

To Marcia on Consolation

• When the changes of our times gave you an opportunity, you restored to the use of man that genius of your father for which he had suffered, and made him in real truth immortal by publishing as an eternal memorial of him those books which that bravest of men had written with his own blood. You have done a great service to Roman literature: a large part of Cordus ’s books had been burned; a great service to posterity, who will receive a true account of events, which cost its author so dear; and a great service to himself, whose memory flourishes and ever will flourish, as long as men set any value upon the facts of Roman history , as long as anyone lives who wishes to review the deeds of our fathers, to know what a true Roman was like — one who still remained unconquered when all other necks were broken in to receive the yoke of Sejanus , one who was free in every thought, feeling, and act.
• By Hercules , the state would have sustained a great loss if you had not brought him forth from the oblivion to which his two splendid qualities, eloquence and independence, had consigned him: he is now read, is popular, is received into men’s hands and bosoms, and fears no old age: but as for those who butchered him, before long men will cease to speak even of their crimes, the only things by which they are remembered.
• All vices sink into our whole being, if we do not crush them before they gain a footing; and in like manner these sad, pitiable, and discordant feelings end by feeding upon their own bitterness, until the unhappy mind takes a sort of morbid delight in grief... In like manner, wounds heal easily when the blood is fresh upon them: they can then be cleared out and brought to the surface, and admit of being probed by the finger: when disease has turned them into malignant ulcers, their cure is more difficult.
• Octavia lost Marcellus , whom both his father-in-law and his uncle had begun to depend upon, and to place upon his shoulders the weight of the empire — a young man of keen intelligence and firm character, frugal and moderate in his desires to an extent which deserved especial admiration in one so young and so wealthy, strong to endure labour, averse to indulgence, and able to bear whatever burden his uncle might choose to lay, or I may say to pile upon his shoulders. Augustus had well chosen him as a foundation, for he would not have given way under any weight, however excessive.
• What madness this is, to punish oneself because one is unfortunate, and not to lessen, but to increase one’s ills! You ought to display, in this matter also, that decent behaviour and modesty which has characterised all your life: for there is such a thing as self-restraint in grief also.
• When we leave you and assemble together by ourselves, we talk freely about his sayings and doings, treating them with the respect which they deserve: in your presence deep silence is observed about him, and thus you lose that greatest of pleasures, the hearing the praises of your son, which I doubt not you would be willing to hand down to all future ages, had you the means of so doing, even at the cost of your own life.

On Anger to Novatus. Book I

• You have demanded of me, Novatus , that I should write how anger may be soothed, and it appears to me that you are right in feeling especial fear of this passion, which is above all others hideous and wild: for the others have some alloy of peace and quiet, but this consists wholly in action and the impulse of grief, raging with an utterly inhuman lust for arms, blood and tortures, careless of itself provided it hurts another, rushing upon the very point of the sword, and greedy for revenge even when it drags the avenger to ruin with itself.
• Some of the wisest of men have in consequence of this called anger a short madness: for it is equally devoid of self control, regardless of decorum, forgetful of kinship, obstinately engrossed in whatever it begins to do, deaf to reason and advice, excited by trifling causes, awkward at perceiving what is true and just, and very like a falling rock which breaks itself to pieces upon the very thing which it crushes.
• That you may know that they whom anger possesses are not sane, look at their appearance; for as there are distinct symptoms which mark madmen, such as a bold and menacing air, a gloomy brow, a stern face
• Other vices can be concealed and cherished in secret; anger shows itself openly and appears in the countenance, and the greater it is, the more plainly it boils forth. Do you not see how in all animals certain signs appear before they proceed to mischief, and how their entire bodies put off their usual quiet appearance and stir up their ferocity? Boars foam at the mouth and sharpen their teeth by rubbing them against trees, bulls toss their horns in the air and scatter the sand with blows of their feet
• Next, if you choose to view its results and the mischief that it does, no plague has cost the human race more dear
• See the foundations of the most celebrated cities hardly now to be discerned; they were ruined by anger. See deserts extending for many miles without an inhabitant: they have been desolated by anger.
• What, if you were to pass from the consideration of those single men against whom anger has broken out to view whole assemblies cut down by the sword, the people butchered by the soldiery let loose upon it, and whole nations condemned to death in one common ruin... as though by men who either freed themselves from our charge or despised our authority?
• Everything of this sort is not anger, but the semblance of anger, like that of boys who want to beat the ground when they have fallen upon it, and who often do not even know why they are angry, but are merely angry without any reason or having received any injury, yet not without some semblance of injury received, or without some wish to exact a penalty for it.
• Thus they are deceived by the likeness of blows, and are appeased by the pretended tears of those who deprecate their wrath, and thus an unreal grief is healed by an unreal revenge.
• We must admit, however, that neither wild beasts nor any other creature except man is subject to anger: for, whilst anger is the foe of reason, it nevertheless does not arise in any place where reason cannot dwell. Wild beasts have impulses, fury, cruelty, combativeness: they have not anger any more than they have luxury: yet they indulge in some pleasures with less self-control than human beings.
• Dumb creatures have not human feelings, but have certain impulses which resemble them: for if it were not so, if they could feel love and hate, they would likewise be capable of friendship and enmity, of disagreement and agreement. Some traces of these qualities exist even in them, though properly all of them, whether good or bad, belong to the human breast alone.
• To no creature besides man has been given wisdom, foresight, industry, and reflection.
• To animals not only human virtues but even human vices are forbidden: their whole constitution, mental and bodily, is unlike that of human beings...they possess intellect, the greatest attribute of all, but in a rough and inexact condition. It is, consequently, able to grasp those visions and semblances which rouse it to action, but only in a cloudy and indistinct fashion. Their impulses and outbreaks are violent, and that they do not feel fear, anxieties, grief, or anger, but some semblances of these feelings: wherefore they quickly drop them and adopt the converse of them: they graze after showing the most vehement rage and terror, and after frantic bellowing and plunging they straightaway sink into quiet sleep.
• What anger is has been sufficiently explained. The difference between it and irascibility is evident: it is the same as that between a drunken man and a drunkard; between a frightened man and a coward. It is possible for an angry man not to be irascible; an irascible man may sometimes not be angry. I shall omit the other varieties of anger, which the Greeks distinguish by various names, because we have no distinctive words for them in our language, although we call men bitter and harsh, and also peevish, frantic, clamorous, surly and fierce: all of which are different forms of irascibility.
• Let us now enquire whether anger be in accordance with nature, and whether it be useful and worth entertaining in some measure.
• What is more affectionate to others than man? Yet what is more savage against them than anger?
• Mankind is born for mutual assistance, anger for mutual ruin: the former loves society, the latter estrangement.
• The one loves to do good, the other to do harm; the one to help even strangers, the other to attack even its dearest friends.
• The one is ready even to sacrifice itself for the good of others, the other to plunge into peril provided it drags others with it.
• Who, then, can be more ignorant of nature than he who classes this cruel and hurtful vice as belonging to her best and most polished work?
• Anger, as we have said, is eager to punish; and that such a desire should exist in man’s peaceful breast is least of all according to his nature; for human life is founded on benefits and harmony and is bound together into an alliance for the common help of all, not by terror, but by love towards one another.

Dialogi de Tranquillitate Animi (Concerning Peace of Mind) [ edit ]

• Much must also be withdrawn into oneself: for a well-composed conversation of differences disturbs and renews the affections, and infuriates whatever is weak in the mind and has not been cared for... Loneliness will cure the hatred of the crowd, the boredom of solitude will be cured by the crowd. ... A certain dullness and languor of the mind is born from constant toil. ...Nor would the desire of men so much tend to this, unless play and fun had a kind of natural voluptuousness. The frequent use of which will relieve all the weight of the soul and all the vigor. For sleep is also necessary for refreshment, but if you continue it day and night, death will result.
• It makes a big difference whether you give something back or pay it off... The framers of the laws instituted festivals, in order that men should be publicly compelled to gaiety, as a necessary temperance for labors; We remember the great orator Pollio Asinius , who was not detained by anything beyond the tenth hour: he did not even need letters for an hour after that, so that no new concern arose, but he put the fatigue of the whole day in those two hours. Some joined in the middle of the day and put off some lighter work in the afternoon hours. Our elders also forbade a new report to be made in the senate after ten o'clock. The army divided the vigils, and the night was safe from the return of the expedition.
• The mind must be indulged, and leisure must be given from time to time, which is the place of food and strength.
• To roam in open walks, that the soul may increase and lift itself up in the free air and with much spirit; sometimes travel and a change of country will give vigor , and marriage and more liberal drink. Sometimes even to the point of drunkenness, not that it drowns us, but that it depresses us: for it washes away cares and moves the mind from below, and, as with certain diseases, so it heals sadness.
• You have, dearest Serene, things that can protect tranquility, things that restore it, things that resist creeping escapes. Be it known, however, that none of these things is sufficient for those who hold a feeble matter, unless a constant concern surrounds the slipping mind.

Other works [ edit ]

• From Ad Marciam De Consolatione (Of Consolation, To Marcia), cap. XIX, line 5
• In L. Anneus Seneca: Minor Dialogues (1889), translated by Aubrey Stewart, George Bell and Sons (London), p. 190.
• From Moral Essays : Ad Marciam De Consolatione (trans. J. W. Basore)
• From Ad Polybium De Consolatione (Of Consolation, To Polybius), chap. I; translation based on work of Aubrey Stewart
• From Ad Polybium De Consolatione (Of Consolation, To Polybius), chap. VI, line 5
• Ugo Bardi (2017). "The Seneca Effect: Why growth is slow but collapse is rapid". ISSN 1612-3018 . DOI : 10.1007/978-3-319-57207-9 .
• Letters to Lucilius , letter 91, page 294.

Disputed [ edit ]

The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true; by the philosopher as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful. — Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Vol. I , Ch. II

"The best wrestler," he would say, "is not he who has learned thoroughly all the tricks and twists of the art, which are seldom met with in actual wrestling, but he who has well and carefully trained himself in one or two of them, and watches keenly for an opportunity of practising them." — Seneca, On Benefits , vii. 1

Misattributed [ edit ]

• Seneca quotes this in Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium ; Epistle IX and attributes it to Hecato
• The quote is from a Roman tragedy Octavia ; Act 2, Line 444, where Seneca advises Nero against carrying out his tyrannical plans. Seneca's attribution to the play is generally discredited by modern scholarship.

Quotes about Seneca [ edit ]

• Robin Campbell, introduction to Seneca's Letters
• Richard Mott Gummere, Seneca the Philosopher, and His Modern Message (1922)
• Michel de Montaigne , Essays , II:32, Defense of Seneca and Plutarch .
• Suetonius , Caligula , 53.

External links [ edit ]

• Works by Seneca the Younger at Project Gutenberg
• Essays by Seneca at Quotidiana.org
• Seneca's essays in English (at Stoics.com)
• Original texts of Seneca's works at The Latin Library
• Modern Commentaries on Seneca's Epistulae Morales

• Philosophers from Rome
• Latin authors
• Political leaders
• Playwrights from Rome
• Poets from Rome
• 1st century deaths
• Executed people
• People from Andalusia

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Signing Off: How to End a Letter in English

Table of Contents

If you’d like to write a letter in English, there are plenty of information sources online that can help you. In fact, we’ve already written an article on our blog.

But even if the rest of your letter is written perfectly, you aren’t finished until you’ve "signed off," or added an appropriate conclusion. This article will take a look at different ways to complete your email or letter depending on the kind of message you’re writing and who you are writing to.

Formal letters

The following are all standard choices for ending formal letters, such as business emails and invitations to formal events.

• Respectfully,
• With respect,
• Best/Kind/Warm regards,

"Sincerely" is the adverb form of "sincere," which describes true, genuine feelings. Meanwhile, "cordially" is the adverb form of "cordial," which means friendly and polite.

Informal letters

If your letter is not related to business or professional matters — or if you simply have a closer relationship with the recipient — you can use one of the following sign-offs:

This is a shortened version of "Best regards," as we've covered earlier.

Talk soon, / See you soon,

These are useful for people that you see frequently, or for people you plan to see in the near future.

(Many) Thanks,

This is a friendly way to end a letter even if you aren't thanking the recipient for something specific.

Have a good day/evening/weekend,

Yours truly,

This expression is quite common even for formal letters. However, that doesn't mean it's actually appropriate in those situations. In reality, telling someone that you are "theirs" has a nuance of closeness that should be saved for special people in your personal life.

Thank-you letters

If the purpose of your message is to thank the other person, you can also use one of the following expressions:

• With gratitude,
• With much appreciation,
• Thank you for your time/consideration,

"Thank you for your time/consideration" sounds more formal than the others and is especially good for things like cover letters sent with résumés.

Other ways to sign off

The following ways are all quite casual and should be reserved for friends and close family members.

This one probably does not need to be explained. This is best for people very close to you.

This is a common way of saying "Thanks" in British English.

XOXO This is a short way of saying " hugs and kisses ," so it is obviously not appropriate for professional messages!

When it’s time to wrap up your letter, choose one of these expressions to match the type and tone of your message. This is the best way to leave your reader with a positive impression and create opportunities for more communication in the future.

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15 End of relationship quotes

E nd of a relationship can be tough. Sometimes, it is challenging to put your feelings into words. These feelings may be complicated to explain or elaborate to someone. At this time, you can use these quotes relate the most to your situation or feel the closest to what you are going through.

Often, companionships come to an end without a closure or a proper goodbye. No matter why things may have ended, it is essential to come to terms with your feelings, have acceptance, and let go.

Check out this list of end-of-relationship quotes that resonate most with your feelings and give you some peace.

Quotes for End of Relationship

A breakup has many reasons, maybe because the bond or companionship with your partner was toxic and had to end, but ending it does not mean your feelings were not valid. No reason to end a beautiful journey can make the process easy. But for your growth and moving on, it is essential to read a few words of encouragement; these quotes will surely help.

1) "I think the universe meant for us to let go and just start something new with another person." – Unknown

2) "Some people will leave you soon no matter how, but it's not the ending of your story, it's just the ending of their role in your story. ‘Cause life goes on, and you should just expect damage from others." – Marouane Laassafar

3) "It takes bravery to end a relationship ." – Leona Lewis

4) "You may not push me away, but you're not fighting to keep me either." – Unknown

5) "Death ends a life, not a relationship." – Robert Benchley

6) "Pleasure of love lasts but a moment, pain of love lasts a lifetime."- Bette Davis

7) "Love is unconditional, relationships are not." – Grant Gudmundson

8) "Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience." – Victoria Holt

9) "Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship – never." – Charles Caleb Colton

10) "Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." – Marilyn Monroe

11) "Just because a relationship ends, it doesn't mean it's not worth having." – Sarah Mlynowski

12) "If a relationship is to evolve, it must go through a series of endings." – Christopher Morley

13) "We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us, they will react and behave in certain ways – the ways we react and behave when we love someone." – John Gray

14) "Even the best things in this life can fall apart as we are now." – Anonymous

15) "Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go." – Herman Hesse

Moving on or letting go may not be easy, especially when you have imagined a life with your partner. It is a different kind of pain, and you have to take care of your mental health and well-being during this time. Hope you find a few words of encouragement and faith from the quotes above that will comfort you in this time. Remember, it is a process, and healing takes time. Stay strong!

40 Engaging Closing Lines for Emails: Crafted for Various Purposes to Increase Response Rates

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Email closing lines are the final phrases or sentences used to conclude an email. These lines play a crucial role in determining the tone and intent of your message, and they often include a call to action, a thank you, or a polite sign-off. They help to leave a lasting impression on the reader, ensuring that the email's purpose is clearly communicated and the relationship with the recipient is positively maintained.

Well-crafted closings can increase response rates, enhance professionalism, and strengthen relationships by showing courtesy and attention to details

How to Choose the Right Email Ending for Various Situations

Choosing the right email ending is crucial for ensuring your message is received as intended and elicits the desired response. This choice can significantly influence the tone and professionalism of your communication, especially in professional settings.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to selecting the perfect email sign-off for various scenarios, integrating best practices and data-driven insights:

1. Consider the Scenario

The context in which you are sending your email should dictate your closing line. Whether it’s a formal request, a friendly update, or a sales proposition, the purpose of your email should align with the tone of your closing.

• Formal Communications : Use respectful and professional closings like "Sincerely" or " Best regards ." Research shows that emails with formal closings are perceived as more credible in business contexts.
• Informal Exchanges : For less formal interactions, especially with people you know well, "Cheers" or "Best" can maintain a light and friendly tone.

2. Think About Your Recipient

Understanding your recipient's expectations and relationship to you helps tailor your email closing appropriately. A closing line that resonates well with one person might not work for another due to differences in professional level, culture, or personal preference.

• Superiors and New Contacts : Opt for more conservative options such as "Respectfully" or "With regards."
• Peers and Regular Contacts : You might use more relaxed or personalized options like "Talk soon" or " Looking forward to hearing from you ."

3. Choose Your Tone

The tone of your email should reflect both the message content and your relationship with the recipient. The closing line serves as the final impression you leave, so it should consistently echo the tone set throughout the email.

• Authoritative : If you're establishing authority or delivering important instructions, close with something firm yet polite, such as "Thank you for your prompt attention."
• Friendly : A more casual email might end with "Warm wishes" or "Happy Friday!" to keep the tone light and personable.

4. Consider Your Request

If your email includes a request or call to action, your closing line can reinforce this element. Tailoring your sign-off to encourage a response or action can significantly affect the outcomes of your email communications.

• Call to Action : Use "Looking forward to your reply" or "Please let me know your thoughts" to prompt a response.
• Confirmation Requests : End with "Please confirm receipt" or "Awaiting your feedback" to ensure follow-through.

5. Give Your Message a Re-read

Before you finalize your email, give it a thorough read to ensure the closing aligns with the overall message and tone. This step is crucial to catch any inconsistencies and to make sure your email conveys the intended message effectively.

• Consistency Check : Ensure the closing line fits seamlessly with the content and tone of the entire message.
• Error Review : Look for grammatical errors or typos, as these can undermine the professionalism of your email and thus reduce its effectiveness.

What to Include When Ending an Email

Ending an email effectively is crucial as it can influence the impression you leave on the reader. Here’s a concise guide on what elements to include when you're wrapping up your email:

Professional Sign-Off

Choose a sign-off that suits the formality of your relationship with the recipient and the context of your email. Common options include:

• "Best regards," for professional and neutral communications.
• "Sincerely," which is traditionally used for formal correspondence.
• "Thank you," when expressing gratitude.
• "Warm regards," for a friendly yet professional tone.

Personalized Closing Sentence

Before your sign-off, a personalized sentence can add a warm touch, especially if it references something specific discussed in the email or pertains to upcoming interactions.

• Looking forward to our meeting next week.
• I hope you find this information helpful.

Call to Action or Reminder

If your email aims to elicit a response or action from the reader, include a clear call to action or reminder.

• Please let me know your availability for the meeting.
• Remember to send the documents by Friday.

Contact Information

Include your contact information, especially if it's a first-time communication with the recipient. This might include your:

• Phone number
• Alternate email address
• LinkedIn profile (for professional networking)
• Company website

Professional Title and Company (if applicable)

If you’re writing in a professional capacity, including your title and company name can clarify your position and affiliation, reinforcing your authority and role.

• Jane Doe | Senior Analyst

Legal or Compliance Disclaimers

In some industries, such as finance or law, it’s necessary to include disclaimers. These might cover confidentiality, liability, or regulatory compliance.

• This message is intended for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged, proprietary, or otherwise private information.

Sometimes, a postscript (P.S.) can be used to emphasize a point made in the email or to add an additional piece of information that you want to highlight.

• P.S. I’ll bring the revised contract to our next meeting for your review.

40 Email Closing Lines for Various Scenarios

Here’s a curated list of 40 email closing lines categorized into different scenarios to effectively increase your response rate. These lines are tailored to suit a variety of contexts, ensuring that your emails always end with the appropriate tone and intention.

Professional and Formal Email Closing Lines

Ideal for formal or business emails and routine correspondence, these lines emphasize the continuity of a successful working relationship and commitment to shared goals. Using these professional email sign offs nurture forward-looking cooperation and are effective in reinforcing the importance of continued collaboration.

1. "Looking forward to our continued collaboration."

2. "Thank you for your partnership. Let's keep this momentum going!"

3. "Eager to see how we can further align our goals."

4. "Let’s touch base soon to advance our agenda."

5. "Anticipating your valued input."

Sales and Marketing Email Closing Lines

Tailored for communications aiming to drive sales, these closings focus on eliciting a response related to a proposal or opportunity, often incorporating a sales email closing line. They create urgency and excitement, prompting recipients to act, which is essential for advancing the sales process .

6. "Excited to hear your thoughts on this proposal."

7. "Please let me know if you’re ready to move forward with this exciting opportunity."

8. "Looking forward to your feedback and to closing this deal together!"

9. "Hope to confirm your interest soon!"

10. "Ready to take this discussion to the next level?"

Customer Support and Service Email Closing Lines

Used in emails responding to customer queries or issues, these lines emphasize readiness to assist, appreciation for the customer’s business, and a commitment to resolving issues. They are effective because they reassure the customer of support, prioritize their satisfaction, and invite them to engage further if necessary, enhancing customer relationship and trust.

11. "Thank you for reaching out. We're here to assist you anytime."

12. "Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need more detailed information."

13. "We appreciate your business and are here to support your needs."

14. "Looking forward to resolving your concerns swiftly."

15. "Your satisfaction is our top priority. Let us know how else we can help."

Formal Requests and Responses Email Closing Line

These lines are suited for emails that involve requests for information, actions, or decisions, particularly in more formal or structured environments like legal, academic, or corporate settings. They underscore the importance of timely and clear responses and are effective because they gently prompt the recipient to action, reflecting both respect and the necessity for a swift reply.

16. "Awaiting your confirmation to proceed as discussed."

17. "Please advise on your decision at your earliest convenience."

18. "Thank you for considering our request. We hope to hear a positive response soon."

19. "May I request a prompt update on this matter?"

20. "I trust this email finds you well and await your esteemed feedback."

Networking and Collaborative Efforts Email Closing Lines

Ideal for emails intended to foster connections or propose joint ventures. These lines suggest enthusiasm for mutual projects and a desire to engage further, laying the groundwork for future interactions. They are effective because they open the door to new opportunities and partnerships, encouraging ongoing dialogue and collaboration.

21. "Let's connect soon to explore potential synergies."

22. "I am keen to discuss this further over a call or coffee."

23. "Hoping to collaborate on this exciting venture."

24. "I would appreciate your insights or introductions to others in your network who might be interested."

25. "Looking forward to building great things together."

Personal and Informal Exchanges Email Closing Lines

Best for messages to friends, acquaintances, or colleagues where a casual tone is appropriate. These lines keep the tone light and personable, often injecting a bit of personality into the message. They are effective because they maintain the friendly rapport and invite less formal, more spontaneous interactions.

26. "Can't wait to catch up! Let’s plan a meetup soon."

27. "Sending you the best vibes until we chat next!"

28. "Hope this message finds you in great spirits. Let’s connect!"

29. "Cheers to more adventures and shared stories!"

30. "Keep in touch and let me know if you're around!"

Follow-ups and Continuations Email Closing Lines

These are particularly useful in ongoing discussions where decisions have not been finalized, or additional input is required. They encourage the recipient to consider the information provided and contribute further, effectively nudging the conversation forward without being overly assertive.

31. "Please consider this and let me know your thoughts."

32. "I hope we can move this forward soon. Your thoughts?"

33. "Let's ensure a smooth transition as we proceed to the next steps."

34. "Looking forward to your reply so we can finalize the details."

35. "I would greatly appreciate your feedback on this."

Cold Email Strategies Email Closing Lines

Used in initial outreach emails , where there is no prior relationship with the recipient. These lines aim to spark interest and open lines of communication. Effective because they acknowledge the recipient’s potential lack of familiarity but show respect for their time and input, making it easier to begin a dialogue that could lead to more concrete interactions or opportunities.

36. "I believe what I’ve proposed could be very beneficial for us both. Your thoughts?"

37. "If you're open to it, I would love to discuss this in a more detailed conversation."

38. "I understand you're busy, but I would value even a brief response."

39. "Hoping this email piques your interest. Let's explore this opportunity together."

40. "Would love to hear back from you and explore potential paths forward."

Common Mistakes in Email Finishing Lines and How to Avoid Them

Email finishing lines, or closing lines, are a critical component of effective email communication . They can set the tone for future interactions, influence a recipient's perception of you, and determine the likelihood of a response. However, common mistakes can undermine these goals. Here’s a detailed look at some of these errors and how to avoid them:

1. Lack of Personalization

Mistake: Using a generic or overly formal closing line in every email, regardless of the recipient or context. This can make your emails feel impersonal and detached, reducing their effectiveness.

How to Avoid: Tailor your closing line to the relationship you have with the recipient and the email's content. For instance, “Looking forward to your thoughts,” can be a good choice for a collaborative colleague, while “With appreciation,” might be better suited for an email to a mentor who provided advice.

2. Inconsistency with Email Tone

Mistake: The closing line doesn’t match the tone of the rest of the email. A very friendly, informal email that ends with a very formal sign-off can seem disjointed, confusing the recipient about your relationship or the email’s intent.

How to Avoid: Ensure that your closing line reflects the overall tone of your email. If your email is formal and to the point, end with a similarly formal sign-off. If it’s casual, your closing can be less formal and more personal.

3. Overly Lengthy or Detailed

Mistake: Including too much information or making a closing line too long. This can dilute the message, potentially overwhelming the recipient or burying important calls to action.

How to Avoid: Keep your closing lines concise and focused. Aim for clarity and brevity, using just enough words to convey politeness and any necessary action. For example, instead of “I would greatly appreciate your feedback on this matter at your earliest convenience,” simplify to “Looking forward to your feedback.”

4. Missing Call to Action

Mistake: Failing to include a clear call to action when one is necessary. Without this, recipients may be unsure about the next steps or your expectations, which can delay responses and hinder progress on collaborative projects.

How to Avoid: End your emails with a clear and specific request when appropriate. For example, “Please let me know if we can meet on Thursday to discuss further,” gives the recipient a clear directive and timeframe for their response.

5. Inappropriate Sign-Offs

Mistake: Using a sign-off that’s inappropriate for the relationship or context, such as using “XOXO” in a professional email, which can appear unprofessional or too casual.

How to Avoid: Choose a sign-off that is appropriate to the context of your communication and the relationship you have with the recipient. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and choose a more formal option like “Best regards” or “Sincerely.”

6. Grammatical Errors

Mistake: Ending an email with grammatical mistakes in the closing line. This can leave a poor impression, making you seem careless or unprofessional.

How to Avoid: Always proofread your emails before sending them. Pay special attention to your closing lines for any grammatical errors or typos, as these can disproportionately affect the recipient’s perception due to their placement at the end of your message.

1. Can you provide examples of formal closing lines for emails?

Examples of formal closing lines include "Best regards," "Yours sincerely," "Respectfully," and "Thank you for your consideration."

2. What are some effective closing lines for emails that need a response?

For emails where a response is needed, consider using closing lines like "Looking forward to your feedback," "Please let me know your thoughts," or "Awaiting your prompt response."

3. Is it appropriate to use the same closing line for every email?

While it can be convenient to use the same closing line, it’s better to tailor your sign-off to fit the specific context of each email to maintain appropriateness and personal connection.

4. How can I make my email closing lines more personal?

To personalize your email closing lines, you might mention a recent event or upcoming meeting, express hopes for a specific occasion, or refer back to a previous conversation that you had with the recipient.

5. What are some common mistakes to avoid in email closing lines?

Common mistakes include using overly casual sign-offs in professional settings, failing to include a closing line altogether, or using an inappropriate tone that doesn’t match the body of the email.

6. How do closing lines affect the tone of an email?

Closing lines can reinforce the tone set throughout the email. A well-chosen closing line can ensure the email feels complete and leaves the reader with the intended sentiment, whether that’s professionalism, friendliness, urgency, or gratitude.

7. What should I do if I'm unsure about which closing line to use?

If unsure, it's safest to err on the side of formality. Choose universally acceptable phrases like "Best regards" or "Sincerely," which are appropriate for most professional situations.

8. What are some best practices for closing formal emails?

When closing formal emails, it's important to maintain a tone of respect and professionalism. Use clear, polite language, and ensure your closing aligns with the formality of the email content. A traditional sign-off such as "Yours sincerely" or "Respectfully" is typically appropriate.

9. Can you give examples of formal email closing examples?

Examples of formal email closings include: "Yours faithfully," "Best regards," "With all due respect," and "Yours truly." These are suitable for communications with superiors, clients, or other formal interactions.

10. What are common business email endings?

Common business email endings that convey professionalism and a serious tone include "Kind regards," "Best wishes," and "Thank you for your consideration." These endings are versatile and can be used in a variety of business contexts.

11. How should I select a closing phrase for different types of professional emails?

Select a closing phrase based on the nature of your email. If it’s a request, something like "Looking forward to your response" works well. For gratitude, "Thanks again" is suitable. The key is to match the closing phrase with the intent of the email.

12. What is the role of an email closing sentence in professional communication?

The email closing sentence serves as the final opportunity to leave a positive impression, clarify your intentions, reinforce your message, or prompt a response. It should be concise, clear, and reflective of the email’s purpose.

13. How can my job title influence the closing lines of my emails?

Including your job title in your email signature or choosing a closing line appropriate to your role can influence how your message is perceived. For instance, a senior position might use "Regards," while a customer service role might use "Happy to help!"

14. Why is it important to use effective email closing lines in professional settings?

Effective email closing highlines are crucial because they can enhance readability, reinforce the professional tone, encourage prompt responses, and ensure clear communication. They help to succinctly conclude the communication and set the stage for future interactions.

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