1. The Writing Prompt: Writing About a Quote
Catherine Wishart
Literacy Coach
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2. Responding to a Controversial Quote

3. The Controversial Quote
“In many things it is not well to say, ‘Know thyself’; it is better to say, ‘Know others.’”
Menander
Ask yourself: “Do I agree or disagree with this quote?”
If you agree, think about why you agree.
If you disagree, think about why you disagree.

4. A Sample Response to this Quote
Introduction:
Write name of author and quote in a sentence.
“While some people agree with this quote, other people disagree. ”
“But what does this quote mean to me? As for me….” (thesis that lists three ideas)
Paragraph 2, 3, and 4
Topic sentence (paragraph 2 for first part of thesis, paragraph 3 for second part of thesis, and paragraph 4 for last part of thesis
In each paragraph, give one or two examples to prove the topic sentence is correct
Conclusion
“In conclusion, (the author) was right (or wrong!)
Explain why you agree or disagree with the author
Restate your thesis statement using different words

5. Planning a Response to This Quote: The Introductory Paragraph
State the quote and the author in the first sentence.
Explain that some people agree with this quote while other people disagree with it.
Ask, “But what does this quote mean to me?”
Write a thesis statement. Your thesis statement will change according to your response.
You can start your thesis statement with: “As for me….”
Your thesis statement should also say if you agree or disagree with the quote.
Try to list three ideas in your thesis statement that you will talk about. These three ideas will be your outline for your essay.

6. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Introductory Paragraph
According to Menander, “In many things it is not well to say, ‘Know thyself’: it is better to say, ‘Know others.’” While some people agree with this quote, other people disagree. But what does this quote mean to me? As for me, I disagree with this quote because I think knowing myself is important so I am able to make good choices, avoid peer pressure, and plan my future.

7. The Second Paragraph: Answering the First Part of the Thesis Statement
Thesis statement: As for me, I disagree with this quote because I think knowing myself is important so I am able to make good choices, avoid peer pressure, and plan my future.
This paragraph should talk about making good choices.

8. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Second Paragraph
I know that I need to know myself so that I can make good choices. If I didn’t know that I really enjoy music more than I like playing sports, I might be on a sports team and not enjoying myself. But I know that I like music a lot. So I spend time learning how to play the guitar and practicing singing. I also have made friends who enjoy the same kinds of things. We can talk about what we like about music and we can talk about which artists interest us the most and why.

9. The Third Paragraph: Answering the Second Part of the Thesis Statement
Thesis statement: As for me, I disagree with this quote because I think knowing myself is important so I am able to make good choices, avoid peer pressure, and plan my future.
This paragraph should be about how to avoid peer pressure.

10. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Third Paragraph
I also know that I need to know myself so I can avoid peer pressure. If I listen to others instead of myself, I could fall into trouble. Some of my friends smoke cigarettes. Because I know myself, I don’t let them talk me into smoking, too. Whenever friends suggest something, I can decide what to do because I know myself.

11. The Fourth Paragraph: Answering the Third Part of the Thesis Statement
Thesis statement: As for me, I disagree with this quote because I think knowing myself is important so I am able to make good choices, avoid peer pressure, and plan my future.
This paragraph should be about how to plan my future.

12. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Fourth Paragraph
I also need to know myself so that I can plan my future. Many people have ideas about what I should do and what kind of job I should get. But I’m the only one who knows me well enough to decide what is best for me. I like music, so I might decide to do something with music for a job. I have to think about what I like and what I am good at to plan my future.

13. The Fifth Paragraph: Planning the Conclusion
Start out with “In conclusion,” and then say that the author of the quote was right or wrong.
Explain why the author was right or wrong in one sentence. You can use part of the quote in your answer.
Restate your thesis statement. Try to use different words to say the same thing.

14. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Conclusion
In conclusion, Menander was wrong. I think he was wrong because he believes that people need to know others better than they know themselves. But I need to know myself so I can do the right thing, listen to myself more than my friends, and prepare for my future.

15. Putting It All Together
According to Menander, “In many things it is not well to say, ‘Know thyself’: it is better to say, ‘Know others.’” While some people agree with this quote, other people disagree. But what does this quote mean to me? As for me, I disagree with this quote because I think knowing myself is important so I am able to make good choices, avoid peer pressure, and plan my future.
I know that I need to know myself so that I can make good choices. If I didn’t know that I really enjoy music more than I like playing sports, I might be on a sports team and not enjoying myself. But I know that I like music a lot. So I spend time learning how to play the guitar and practicing singing. I also have made friends who enjoy the same kinds of things. We can talk about what we like about music and we can talk about which artists interest us the most and why.
I also know that I need to know myself so I can avoid peer pressure. If I listen to others instead of myself, I could fall into trouble. Some of my friends smoke cigarettes. Because I know myself, I don’t let them talk me into smoking, too. Whenever friends suggest something, I can decide what to do because I know myself.
I also need to know myself so that I can plan my future. Many people have ideas about what I should do and what kind of job I should get. But I’m the only one who knows me well enough to decide what is best for me. I like music, so I might decide to do something with music for a job. I have to think about what I like and what I am good at to plan my future.
In conclusion, Menander was wrong. I think he was wrong because he believes that people need to know others better than they know themselves. But I need to know myself so I can do the right thing, listen to myself more than my friends, and prepare for my future.

16. Take Your Choice Carefully read both of the quotes listed below
Take Your Choice Carefully read both of the quotes listed below. Decide to which quote you would like to respond.
“You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood” (Bill Watterson).
“Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security” (Benjamin Franklin).

17. Works Cited Easy Literacy. http://www.easyliteracy.com.
Inspirational Quotes.
Think Exist.