Introduction

[A] lawyer is either a social engineer or a parasite on society.

– Charles Hamilton Houston[1]

Imagine starting a lesson on professional identity[2] with the above quote from Charles Hamilton Houston, the first General Counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[3] Imagine that you begin your lesson by asking your students whether they agree or disagree with the quote and to provide support for their position. I suspect this quote, which characterizes lawyers as either “social engineers” or “parasites,” will draw varied and animated reactions from your students and will provoke a thoughtful discussion about the role of lawyers in modern society. The quote may even prompt some introspection from your students about the broader impact of their professional aspirations.

I presented this quote to my own students as a way to kick-start a discussion about professional identity and lawyering. My students had been talking excitedly about their upcoming summer internships at non-profits, small law firms, and government agencies. I was interested in getting my students to think more broadly about the impact of their chosen career on society. Did they see their role as serving the greater good or was their job a means to some other end? As I suspected, this quote generated thoughtful discussion about the purpose of legal work and the role and responsibilities of lawyers.

My class was split on whether the quote fairly described the role of lawyers in society. One student, who agreed with the sentiment of the quote, interpreted the quote as referring to the special role lawyers play in society. This student described lawyers as having “power,” and observed that lawyers can use that power to either benefit other people or to enrich themselves. Another student disagreed with the quote, saying that the law is “morally neutral”; there is no good or evil. Attorneys simply act on behalf of clients and must set aside their own personal preferences in doing their work. This student agreed, however, that there are still certain moral and ethical boundaries that lawyers should not cross. Another student criticized the binary choice between a “parasite” and a “social engineer” because it set an unrealistic expectation for attorneys to effect social change. In this student’s opinion, lawyers engage in social “good” by doing attorney work—representing clients in the courtroom or helping clients with more mundane business transactions.

The above comments are a small sample of the thoughtful perspectives my students shared about what it means to be a lawyer. When we finished up our class discussion, I was satisfied that the quote had the intended effect—getting my students to think critically about the role of lawyers in society. In focusing on what I call a “provocative quote,” I also accomplished a couple of other curricular objectives. I incorporated a diverse voice into my legal writing instruction by introducing students to Charles Hamilton Houston, an important figure in African American legal history.[4] As a legal writing professor, I could not pass up the opportunity to reinforce good legal writing skills by drawing my students’ attention to the use of brackets to capitalize the first letter in the quote, indicating that the beginning of the quoted sentence has been omitted. In using this provocative quote, I reinforced good quotation mechanics while achieving curricular goals relating to the exploration of professional identity and legal history.

I started using thought-provoking quotes to initiate classroom discussions in my second year of full-time teaching. The resulting conversations were engaging and memorable. The quotes I selected caused students to think critically about a variety of subjects, including professional identity, professional bias, social justice, and mental health. A short and meaningful quote greatly facilitates student participation because no background reading is required.[5] In my class discussions, I was pleasantly surprised by the contributions from students who were normally reticent to speak up in class. And over time, students showed great interest in seeing more quotes. Students would approach me before class to ask about the day’s quote. One student even shared with me their favorite inspirational quote. I personally enjoyed guiding my students through sometimes tricky conversations, especially about overcoming law school challenges. A bit surprisingly, the most difficult aspect of using a quote as a discussion starter was finding the right quotes for the right lessons. This difficulty, in part, gave rise to this essay. Having tried this teaching technique, I believe that integrating thought-provoking quotes into the first-year curriculum can be a valuable exercise for all legal writing professors who are looking to engage students in discussions about critical law school topics while reinforcing key legal writing skills.

Before going any further, I’d like to define what I mean by a “provocative quote.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “provocative” means “serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate.”[6] For purposes of this essay, a provocative quote would therefore be a quote that provokes, excites, or stimulates a thoughtful classroom discussion on a curricular topic. Although the word “provocative” may connote something controversial, a provocative quote need not “stir the pot” to get students thinking critically about sensitive matters.

This essay will proceed in three Parts. Part I will lay out the pedagogical foundation for using a provocative quote as part of a legal writing lesson. Part II will identify three quotes that can be used as the basis for classroom discussions on common legal writing topics and provide advice on setting the stage for teaching quotation skills. Part III will address critical issues around quote selection, such as finding accurate quotes and attributing quotes properly.

Starting a lesson with a provocative quote gives legal writing professors an opportunity to enliven their instruction and increase student engagement with the course material. This method of capturing student attention is based on a lesson design theory known as the “anticipatory set,” a short starter activity that relates the experiences of students to the objectives of the lesson.[7] In Opening Class with Panache, Professionalism Pointers, and a Pinch of Humor, Professor Almas Kahn describes a similar practice.[8] Kahn recommends opening class with intriguing material such as surveys, videos, and newspaper articles to increase student engagement.[9] For example, Kahn suggests opening class with a video clip of the O.J. Simpson trial featuring Judge Ito scolding one of the parties for not Shepardizing cases properly (to show the importance of proper legal research).[10] Kahn says that good lesson starters are not only good for capturing student attention, but they can also instill in students a passion for legal writing topics that students may otherwise find intimidating or irrelevant.[11] Like the Judge Ito video, a provocative quote will capture students’ attention and increase their participation and engagement with the legal writing lesson.

Using a provocative quote to introduce a theme, concept, or idea in a legal writing lesson is similar to the use of epigraphs in academic legal writing. An epigraph is a quote “set at the beginning of a literary work . . . to suggest its theme.”[12] Legal scholars have used epigraphs to preview themes in their scholarly writing for centuries.[13] For example, in The Justice of Parliament on Corrupt Ministers, a book published in 1725 about corrupt judges, Thomas Gordon introduces the book’s subject matter with the following quote from Shakespeare: “Thieves for their robb’ries have authority, when judges steal themselves.”[14] Gordon uses the Shakespearian quote to prime the reader to engage in a fuller discussion about government officials engaging in corrupt acts.[15]

Supreme Court Justices are fond of using pithy, non-legal quotes to support their analysis and to make their opinions more engaging to the reader. In Supreme Quotes: Surprising Quotations in Supreme Court Opinions, Evan J. Roth identified dozens of non-legal quotes used in a variety of Supreme Court decisions.[16] Roth notes that Supreme Court Justices often use non-legal quotes to “crystallize an important issue being debated by the Supreme Court,” making the legal issue more accessible to a non-legal audience.[17] These quotes are drawn from a variety of authors, including satirists, actors, playwrights, politicians, musicians, and poets.[18] For example, in Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment, LLC, Justice Kagan quoted Spiderman saying: “[I]n this world, with great power there must also come—great responsibility.”[19] Justice Kagan used this quote to highlight the Supreme Court’s obligation to exercise its awesome power to overturn precedent sparingly.[20] Justice Scalia was also known to infuse his judicial opinions with non-legal quotes. When asked why his opinions often include quotations from history, literature, and pop culture, Justice Scalia answered: “It makes the opinion interesting, which might induce somebody to read it.”[21]

II. Using Provocative Quotes for Instructional Purposes

Thought-provoking quotes can be used to start a discussion on any number of substantive topics that are addressed in the legal writing classroom. As discussed above, I asked my students whether they agreed or disagreed with Charles Hamilton Houston’s quote, prompting a discussion about the role of lawyers in society. Below, I suggest three quotes that can be used to start a discussion on bias and prejudice, mental health and well-being, and overcoming law school challenges. Appendix A lists fifteen additional provocative quotes that can be used as conversation starters in the classroom. This Part will also identify some points to consider in delivering more formal instruction on quotation skills.

A. Discussing Bias and Prejudice

ABA Standard 303(c) requires law schools to provide instruction to law students about “bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.”[22] A quote discussing prejudice and bigotry can be an excellent way to address Standard 303(c) in the classroom. Consider the following quote from Mark Twain:

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.

― Mark Twain[23]

The above quote is taken from The Innocents Abroad, wherein Twain recounts his travels to Europe, the “Near East,” and the “Holy Land.”[24] Twain’s quote suggests that travel may reduce bias because travel exposes one to different people, cultures, and ways of life. As one learns about different people, one may abandon certain previously held beliefs and biases. On the surface, Twain’s quote makes intuitive sense. Meeting people different from yourself may make you reconsider your previously held beliefs about those same people. But some astute students may point out that not everyone can afford to travel abroad (and not everyone may want to spend their vacations exploring their personal biases). Also, the quote itself is arguably written from a biased point of view—a point of view from a person with significant economic means and societal privilege. Other students may further argue that travel may actually be harmful because it may reinforce bias and stereotypes depending on the traveler’s experience. As the professor, you’ll want to bring the conversation back to the legal profession and ask students to consider whether attorneys might be biased and, if so, how they might mitigate their biases. These questions will give students an opportunity to consider their own potential biases as future attorneys and how they might mitigate their bias in executing their professional responsibilities.

B. Talking About Mental Health and Well-Being

A provocative quote can be used to address mental health challenges students may face during their first year in law school. Mental health and well-being are tricky subjects to discuss with law students. But a discussion on these topics is much needed given that the legal profession is one with a high incidence of mental illness and addiction.[25] There is also evidence that a significant portion of law students are dealing with mental health concerns. A recent survey of 3,300 law students from fifteen law schools found that 25% of law students were at risk for alcoholism, 17% of law students suffered from depression, 37% of law students reported mild to severe anxiety, and 6% of law students reported having suicidal thoughts in the last year.[26] Addressing mental health concerns in class could help create an environment where students are comfortable discussing mental health issues and, importantly, strategies to deal with them. Consider using the following quote from Jesse Owens to open up a conversation about dealing with mental health struggles:

[T]he battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself–the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at.

— Jesse Owens[27]

The above quote provides students with a valuable perspective—a gold medal, like a law degree, is not the most significant thing in life. Taking care of oneself and finding ways to address inner struggles are of paramount importance, especially if one is to have a long and prosperous legal career.

C. Facing Law School Challenges

Students face many challenging situations in law school, such as answering tough questions in class, preparing for and taking law school exams, and participating in an oral argument. Consider using the following quote from Eleanor Roosevelt to start a conversation about managing difficult situations:

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.”
. . . .

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

— Eleanor Roosevelt[28]

Professors could use the above quote to initiate a discussion about specific ways to address challenging situations and lower the associated stress. In the article Finals Don’t Finalize Who We Are: Let’s Re-Define “Success” in Law School, Professor Heidi K. Brown describes how students may feel ill-prepared and nervous about taking exams, especially when they compare themselves to other law students.[29] Brown advises students to be aware of their physical responses to stress and make any necessary adjustments (e.g., take a deep breath, change your physical posture, or think about a favorite performer). In addition, Brown advises students to change their mindset about their law school experience. While grades do matter, stressing about grades does not help anyone. Students would be better served by focusing on how they contribute to their educational community and to the profession of law. This re-framing of priorities will yield long-term career benefits.[30]

D. Teaching Quotation Skills

The provocative quotes discussed above highlight distinct points of view on several sensitive topics that are common to the legal writing curriculum. But a provocative quote can also pave the way for a more traditional lesson on the proper use of quotes in legal analysis. A review of all quotation-related skills is beyond the scope of this essay.[31] However, as legal writing professors, there are a few things we should keep in mind about teaching quotations. Students will arrive in law school with varying levels of writing proficiency. So legal writing professors should not assume knowledge. Do students know the difference between single and double quotes?[32] Do students understand that quotes can be modified using special symbols (e.g., brackets and ellipses)?[33] And most importantly, do students know when and how to quote relevant language? In starting your discussion about quotations mechanics, you may want to have a conversation with your class about how there are unique rules for using quotations in legal writing (for legal memoranda, client letters, legal briefs, etc.) that must be mastered to properly convey a written legal analysis. Clarifying this issue up front may save students and professors some time and help avoid frustration.

III. Issues in Quote Selection

As you work to identify appropriate quotes for your lessons (either as lesson starters or to reinforce quote mechanics), there are several things you should consider. While good quotes are in seemingly endless supply, you should carefully select quotes that serve a pedagogical purpose.

Identifying the Purpose. Before using a quote, decide on your lesson’s learning objectives. Do you want to introduce a new concept or skill or open up a discussion on a current event? Once you have decided on the purpose, you’ll be able to narrow your search for the perfect quote.

Finding Quotes. You can find quotes in a variety of ways. There are several websites that collect and catalogue quotes by author or subject.[34] There are also numerous books that collect significant quotes from prominent people in American history and culture.[35] Your local library may also be an excellent source for books on quotes, and your local librarian can be a helpful resource.[36]

Verifying Quotes and Sources. Professors should carefully consider the accuracy of the quote and its source. Erroneous versions of famous quotes are not uncommon. Here’s a fun example—Darth Vader, in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, is often quoted as saying, “Luke, I am your father.”[37] This is not the exact quote. Instead, Darth Vader says, “No, I am your father.”[38] In accurately quoting language, professors will model strong academic integrity for students.

A quote may also be misattributed. Misattribution is the “incorrect association of ideas or statements with individuals or groups.”[39] For example, the quote, “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes,” has often been attributed to Mark Twain.[40] But the quote has been traced to the satirist Jonathan Swift.[41] My advice is to source quotes from primary sources (e.g., books, movies, recordings) whenever possible. You can also attempt to verify quotes with an online quote database or by using a quotation reference volume.[42] The New York Public Library also has a webpage offering resources for researching a quotation.[43]

Diversity. Quotes from traditional sources—Greek philosophers[44] and well-known figures from history and literature[45]—are relatively easy to find.[46] But these sources tend not to reflect the rich diversity found in today’s law school student body.[47] I suggest thoughtful inclusion of quotes from people belonging to underrepresented communities to make your lessons reflective of the diversity in today’s law school classroom.

Conclusion

Incorporating provocative quotes in the legal writing curriculum can yield a number of benefits. A provocative quote can serve as a springboard for a discussion about substantive law school topics that do not fit neatly into a traditional legal writing lesson. Class discussions about provocative quotes can also increase student engagement and provide students with an opportunity to exercise critical thinking skills. In addition to using a pithy quote to frame a complex issue, focusing on quotes will provide legal writing professors the opportunity to reinforce good quotation practices. To maximize these benefits, legal writing professors should carefully select quotes that align with their learning objectives. Provocative quotes need not be controversial, but they should express a distinct point of view that can be analyzed and debated by students. Investing time to carefully select quotes for class discussion will ultimately make classroom instruction more dynamic and meaningful for students, enhancing the overall learning experience.

Appendices

Appendix A. Provocative Quotes and Relevant Curricular Topics

Quote Curricular Topic
In early days, I tried not to give librarians any trouble, which was where I made my primary mistake. Librarians like to be given trouble; they exist for it, they are geared to it.
– Catherine Drinker Bowen[48]		 Working with law school librarians; adding emphasis to quoted language
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.
– Booker T. Washington[49]		 Professional identity; social justice
Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I’ll rise.
– Maya Angelou[50]		 Similes in legal argument
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
– Helen Keller[51]		 Collaboration; social justice; semi-colons
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
– Barack Obama[52]		 Social justice; professional identity
Every day may not be good . . . but there’s something good in every day.
– Alice Morse Earle[53]		 Positive mindset; law school success
I’ve learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.
– Martha Washington[54]		 Positive mindset; law school success
If the system is broken, my inclination is to fix it rather than to fight it.
– Sonia Sotomayor[55]		 Social justice; professional identity
You are really not that far from the farmworkers. Every time, three times a day, that you get around that table . . . you are eating something that has gotten to your table with an awful lot of exploitation, a lot of suffering, a lot of traveling, a lot of injustice.
– Cesar Chavez[56]		 Social justice; ellipses
We’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain. We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson[57]		 Law school civility; mental health and well-being
The big stars didn’t look like me and I didn’t look like them. There wasn’t a blueprint or a model. “Well, here’s a former football player who once wrestled and he’s this height and this weight. He’s black and Samoan and he has tattoos . . . .”
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson[58]		 Diversity; professional identity; ellipses
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.
– Plato[59]		 Professional identity; civility; law school success
I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.
– Cato[60]		 Professional identity; civility; law school success
Quality is not an act, it is a habit.
– Aristotle[61]		 Professional identity; law school success
The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.
– Augustine of Hippo[62]		 Persuasion; legal argument

Appendix B. Source Books for Provocative Quotes

The Abraham Lincoln Book of Quotes: A Collection of Speeches, Quotations, Essays & Advice from the 16th President of the United States (Travis Hellstrom ed., 2023).

J.S. Felts, Ageless Wisdom: A Treasury of Quotes to Motivate and Inspire (2021).

Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (John Bartlett & Geoffrey O’Brien eds., 2022).

The Daily Henry David Thoreau: A Year of Quotes from the Man Who Lived in Season (Laura Dassow Walls ed., 2020).

The Daily Henry James: A Year of Quotes from the Work of the Master (Evelyn Garnaut Smalley ed., 2016).

The Daily Jane Austen: A Year of Quotes (Devoney Looser ed., 2019).

The Daily Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Quotes from the Case-Book of the World’s Greatest Detective (Levi Stahl & Stacey Shintani eds., 2019).

The Librarian’s Book of Quotes (Tatyana Eckstrand ed., 2009).

The Little Book of Sass: The Wit and Wisdom of Jonathan Van Ness (2019).

The Optimism Book of Quotes; Words to Inspire, Motivate & Create, A Positive Mindset (Jackie Corley ed., 2022).

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (Elizabeth Knowles ed., 8th ed. 2014).

Nick Benas & Kortney Yasenka, The Stoicism Book of Quotes: Over 200 Inspirational Quotations from the Greatest Stoic Philosophers (2023).

Evan J. Roth, Supreme Quotes: Surprising Quotations in Supreme Court Opinions (2022).

We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders (Selina Alko et al. illus., 2019).

Pop Press, What Would the Rock Do? (2021).

  1. See Angela J. Scott, Human Rights Hero: The African American Social Engineer, 44(4) Hum. Rts. 25–26 (Am. Bar Ass’n 2019), https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/crsj/human-rights-magazine/black-to-the-future-part-ii.pdf [https://perma.cc/QA67-NSKB].

  2. American Bar Association Standard 303(b)(3) states that law schools shall provide students with substantial opportunities for “the development of a professional identity.” Am. Bar Ass’n Section of Legal Educ. & Admissions to the Bar, 2023-2024 Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools ch. 3, at 20 (2023) [hereinafter ABA Standards ch. 3], https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/standards/2023-2024/23-24-standards-ch3.pdf [https://perma.cc/CLK5-J3R3]. Interpretation 303-5 of ABA Standard 303(b) explains that “[p]rofessional identity focuses on what it means to be a lawyer and the special obligations lawyers have to their clients and society.” Id. at 19. Interpretation 303-5 further states that, “[b]ecause developing a professional identity requires reflection and growth over time, students should have frequent opportunities for such development during each year of law school and in a variety of courses and co-curricular and professional development activities.” Id.

  3. Charles Hamilton Houston, NAACP, https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/charles-hamilton-houston [https://perma.cc/N6DA-5P4Z] (last visited Feb. 20, 2025). Charles Hamilton Houston “paved the way for the Supreme Court ruling outlawing school segregation.” Id.

  4. Id.

  5. A short, provocative quote allows all students to participate in the classroom discussion because they can quickly read and analyze the quote in class.

  6. Provocative, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provocative [https://perma.cc/S32G-4XV9] (last visited Feb. 20, 2025).

  7. See Madeline Hunter’s Lesson Plan 2, https://www.acteonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MadelineHunterModel.pdf [https://perma.cc/CU52-4NRA] (last visited Mar. 17, 2025); see also Laura Schisler, A Starter Activity to Begin Any Class, FacultyFocus (July 20, 2020), https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/a-starter-activity-to-begin-any-class [https://perma.cc/T6QU-PHYC]; John O. Sonsteng, Samuel Heacox, Hannah Holloran & Cara Moulton, Teaching the Art of Effective Advocacy in the 21st Century: A Paradigm Shift, 44 Mitchell Hamline L. Rev. 163, 193 (2018).

  8. See Almas Kahn, Opening Class with Panache, Professionalism Pointers, and a Pinch of Humor, 20 Persps.: Teaching Legal Rsch. & Writing 117, 117 (2012).

  9. Id.

  10. Id. at 118.

  11. Id. at 117.

  12. Epigraph, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epigraph [https://perma.cc/JSU9-KCT5] (last visited Feb. 20, 2025).

  13. The Boston College Law Library reports that the earliest epigraph in its collection is found in a 1556 treatise on French customary law that used a passage from Deuteronomy on its title page. Summoning Shakespeare, Cicero, and Scripture: Epigraphs in Law Books (2022), Boston Coll. L. Libr., https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/law/sites/students/library/
    special-collections/rare-book-room/exhibits/epigraphs.html [https://perma.cc/8Y2V-BLFS] (last visited Feb. 20, 2025).

  14. Boston Coll. L. Libr., Summoning Shakespeare, Cicero, and Scripture: Epigraphs in Law Books 9 (2022) (brochure from a spring 2022 exhibit presented by the Boston College Law Library) (on file with author).

  15. Id.

  16. Evan J. Roth, Supreme Quotes: Surprising Quotations in Supreme Court Opinions ix–x (2022).

  17. Id. at 1.

  18. Id.

  19. Id. at 67.

  20. Kimble v. Marvel Ent., LLC, 576 U.S. 446, 465 (2015).

  21. Roth, supra note 16, at 67.

  22. ABA Standards ch. 3, supra note 2, at 19. Interpretation 303-7 of ABA Standard 303(c) says that a law school may satisfy this requirement in (1) “[o]rientation sessions for incoming students;” (2) “lectures on these topics;” (3) “[c]ourses incorporating these topics;” or (4) “[o]ther educational experiences incorporating these topics.” Id. at 19–20.

  23. Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad 333 (1869).

  24. Id. at xix.

  25. Jarrod F. Reich, Capitalizing on Healthy Lawyers, Harv. L. Sch. Ctr. Legal Prof., Mar./Apr. 2020, https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/approaching-lawyer-well-being/capitalizing-on-healthy-lawyers [https://perma.cc/8FD2-YKRQ].

  26. New Study on Lawyer Well-Being Reveals Serious Concerns for Legal Profession, Am. Bar Ass’n, YourABA, Dec. 2017, https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/publications/youraba/2017/december-2017/secrecy-and-fear-of-stigma-among-the-barriers-to-lawyer-well-bei [https://perma.cc/3PVP-SSTN].

  27. Jesse Owens, Blackthink: My Life as Black Man and White Man 150 (1970).

  28. Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living 29–30 (1983). During her lifetime, Eleanor Roosevelt was an advocate for several humanitarian causes. Eleanor Roosevelt Biography, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Libr. & Museum, https://www.fdrlibrary.org/er-biography [https://perma.cc/B4GL-Z9HP] (last visited Aug. 29, 2024). She served as the chair of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations and worked on drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the General Assembly on December 10, 1948. Id. She was also appointed to the National Advisory Committee of the Peace Corps and chaired the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. Id.

  29. Heidi K. Brown, Finals Don’t Finalize Who We Are: Let’s Re-Define Success in Law School, Am. Bar Ass’n: Student Law. Blog (Dec. 4, 2019) https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_students/resources/student-lawyer/student-essentials/finals-dont-finalize-who-we-are-defining-success-in-law-school [https://perma.cc/ZP3T-P4T9].

  30. See Appendix A for additional provocative quotes and lesson topics.

  31. For strategies on teaching students how and when to quote in legal writing, see Anne Enquist, To Quote or Not to Quote, 14 Persps.: Teaching Legal Rsch. & Writing 16 (2005).

  32. See The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation R. 5.1(b)(i) & 5.2(f), at 84–86 (Columbia L. Rev. Ass’n et al. eds., 21st ed. 2020).

  33. See id. R. 5.2, at 84–86.

  34. See Black History Month Quotes, JesuitResource.org, https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/quote-archive1/black-history-month-quotes [https://perma.cc/L8D8-KF97] (last visited Dec. 18, 2024); Wikiquote, http://en.wikiquote.org [https://perma.cc/MV25-5ZXL] (last visited Dec. 18, 2024); BrainyQuote, www.brainyquote.com [https://perma.cc/2GPD-Y5SF] (last visited Dec. 18, 2024); Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/ [https://perma.cc/YSX4-YVDR] (last visited Dec. 18, 2024).

  35. See Appendix B, listing books compiling quotes.

  36. Artificial intelligence platforms may also be fruitful sources for provocative quotes as long as their results are vetted for accuracy.

  37. Gina Vivinetto, James Earl Jones Is Remembered for Saying, ‘Luke, I Am Your Father.’ But He Didn’t Actually Say That, Today (Sept. 11, 2024, 3:45 AM), https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/james-earl-jones-darth-vader-luke-i-am-your-father-rcna170438 [https://perma.cc/V3VP-S8YM].

  38. Id.; Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back (Lucasfilm Ltd. 1980).

  39. Ethan Chitty, Citation and the Challenges of Misattribution, Editor’s Blog, Ind. Univ. Indianapolis Sch. of Liberal Arts (Apr. 9, 2015), https://liberalarts.indianapolis.iu.edu/centers/santayana/citation-and-the-challenges-of-misattribution/ [https://perma.cc/D9XC-CM9N].

  40. Niraj Chokshi, That Wasn’t Mark Twain: How a Misquotation is Born, N.Y. Times (Apr. 26, 2017), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/books/famous-misquotations.html [https://perma.cc/JY3C-D7YB].

  41. Id.

  42. Rebekah Cowell, Who Said That? Librarian Tips for Verifying Quotes, Duke Univ. Librs. (June 28, 2023), https://blogs.library.duke.edu/blog/2023/06/28/who-said-that-librarian-tips-for-verifying-quotes/ [https://perma.cc/TZK5-M344].

  43. Sharon Rickson, How to Research a Quotation, N.Y. Pub. Libr. (Nov. 22, 2013), https://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/11/22/how-to-research-quotations [https://perma.cc/AFZ7-25H7].

  44. See, e.g., Nick Benas & Kortney Yasenka, The Stoicism Book of Quotes: Over 200 Inspirational Quotations from the Greatest Stoic Philosophers (2023).

  45. See, e.g., The Abraham Lincoln Book of Quotes: A Collection of Speeches, Quotations, Essays & Advice from the 16th President of the United States (Travis Hellstrom ed., 2023); The Daily Henry David Thoreau: A Year of Quotes from the Man Who Lived in Season (Laura Dassow Walls ed., 2020); The Daily Henry James: A Year of Quotes from the Work of the Master (Evelyn Garnaut Smalley ed., 2016).

  46. I recommend reading Alexa Chew’s article, The Fraternity of Legal Style, 20 Legal Comm. & Rhetoric 39 (2023), for a discussion about the lack of diversity in legal writing textbooks.

  47. James Leipold, Incoming Class of 2023 Is the Most Diverse Ever, But More Work Remains, L. Sch. Admissions Council (Dec. 15, 2023), https://www.lsac.org/blog/incoming-class-2023-most-diverse-ever-more-work-remains [https://perma.cc/3ZNQ-BL7U].

  48. The Librarian’s Book of Quotes 47 (Tatyana Eckstrand ed., 2009) (citing Catherine Drinker Bowen, Adventures of a Biographer 138 (1959)) (emphasis added).

  49. Kimberly Rae Connor, Booker T. Washington and Guiding the Public Administration Program, Univ. of S.F. Sch. of Mgmt. (Feb. 28, 2018), https://www.usfca.edu/management/news/booker-t-washington-and-guiding-the-public-administration-program [https://perma.cc/Q5L7-CUUM].

  50. We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders 11 (Selina Alko, et al. illus., 2019).

  51. Id. at 45.

  52. Id. at 44.

  53. The Optimism Book of Quotes: Word to Inspire, Motivate & Create, A Positive Mindset 5 (Jackie Corley ed., 2022).

  54. Id. at 12.

  55. Id. at 22.

  56. UCLA Irv Drasnin & Xiaoyan Drasnin Commc’n Archive, Cesar Chavez Speaking at UCLA 10/11/1972, YouTube (Dec. 1, 2013), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlLs_fVBWzM.

  57. Pop Press, What Would the Rock Do? 37 (2021).

  58. Id. at 51.

  59. Benas & Yasenka, supra note 44, at 13.

  60. Id. at 17.

  61. Id. at 20.

  62. Id. at 61.