On Quotations by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 19, 1873

On Quotations.

By James White

We have received of late several letters asking where certain quotations, ascribed to certain authors, may be found, or verified, the writers saying that they have given these quotations, and they have been contradicted, parties asserting that they were not genuine, and calling for proof. We are willing and anxious to help as far as possible, but it is not always possible. To hunt up a few lines quoted from an author often requires more time than we can spare. Sometimes it is almost impossible, when the quotation is genuine, because we do not know where to look in the works of a given author.

It has been a cause of regret that some quote loosely, not being sure that the connection sustains the construction put upon the quotation, and not giving the book, chapter, or page, from which the quotation is made. In all such cases, it would be well to regard the quotation with suspicion; be cautious in using a quotation made by any one who does not tell exactly where it may be found. And it would be well for our ministers to verify important quotations before they use them. They have opportunities to examine the libraries of others if they do not possess the works. And in no case offer a quotation which you are not prepared to sustain, if there is any chance of its being denied, or if the denial would cause you trouble, or cause your statements to be doubted.

J. H. W.