Stand-alone Quote
A quotation presented as its own block, without an introductory clause running into it.
A stand-alone quote is a quotation presented on its own line or block, without being woven into a sentence ('As Lincoln said, ...'). It is the design convention behind posters, social cards, and pull quotes — the line is meant to land alone.
Stand-alone quoting works best when the line is genuinely complete in itself. A fragment that needed its surrounding paragraph will read as orphaned, however attractively it is set.
The convention also raises the bar for accuracy. A stand-alone quote on a poster cannot rely on context to disambiguate; the line must be exactly what was said, or the misquotation will travel further than any correction.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Keep reading the glossary
A short, eye-catching quote lifted from an article and displayed in large type for emphasis.
A long quotation set off as its own indented paragraph, without quotation marks.
A short, vivid extract from a longer speech, designed to be repeated by news media.
Square brackets mark editorial changes inside a quotation — clarifications, edits, or [sic].