Consulting Journal: Writing - Using quotations

Writing: Using quotations

by David Blakey

Many reports have quotations or aphorisms to introduce each section or chapter. Are they a good idea?

[Monday 26 November 2001]

Memory furnishes a sort of consecutiveness which imitates reason.

You are hardly likely to see this statement quoted in a consultant's report or presentation, for three reasons.

It gives a poor impression of some consultants. While it is true that consultants rely upon their experience to guide them, they should not allow their experience to dictate to them. They should always rely upon first principles, and they should be able to reason their arguments other than by referring back to what they have observed previously.
Second, it does not convey a simple message completely within the time that it takes to read it. It is a philosophical argument rather than an epigram.
Third, it is by Gottfried Wilhelm Liebnitz, a German philosopher. Consultants only use quotations from people who are well known.

I suppose that the habit of putting quotations into written works began with novels. Some fiction authors insert a quotation at the start of each part or the start of each chapter. These quotations demonstrate to the reader that the author is ‘well-read’.

The habit then spread to some writers of books on management. It moved on to some consultants' reports and presentations.

The problem with this is that most of the epigrams used by these consultants are crass or inappropriate. The worst example of crassness is quoting Sun Tzu on The Art of War. If you really must have a quotation from Sun Tzu, try this:

He [a general] must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.

This is actually a useful quotation, as you can use it to close a presentation. Say: ‘Some consultants are fond of quoting Sun Tzu. Here's my own favourite quotation.’ Then show the quotation. It will certainly show that you have a sense of humour.

It is best to avoid quotations entirely, except quotations from people who are important to the client.

If the chief executive really did say to you: ‘This company needs to continually look at its customers and to check that we and they are moving in the same direction but that we are moving faster,’ then that is a useful quotation. Do not just throw in any quotation from the chairman or chief executive, as that can make you look sychophantic.
Better still is to include a quotation from a customer. It will look good if a customer had actually said ‘They move in the same direction that we take, except that they overtake us. When we change direction, so do they, and they still get ahead of us. They're usually ready with new services when we need them.’
Best of all is to include a complimentary quotation from a competitor.

If you must throw some epigrams in, here's my advice.

Context: Obviously, an ancient Chinese book about war is not very relevant to current Western management. If you take a single sentence that does not specifically mention warfare, someone in your audience may know its source and may realize that your quotation is out of context.
Scandal: Do not quote people who have been involved in a scandal, unless it was a long time ago. You can quote Oscar Wilde but not Lord Archer.
Crime: Do not quote any criminal, even from a long time ago. You still should not quote Caligula.
Idiocy: Don't quote the village idiot. Unless you're at a Star Trek convention, do not quote any of the Ferengi laws of acquisition. Fortunately, village idiots rarely say anything of value.
Belief: Do not quote priests, popes, rabbis and imams. The problem may not be with the words of the quotation, but with the nature of its author.

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