The trick to choosing a good quote is to pick the clearest example in the least amount of words possible. Sometimes quotes run on for too long, and include parts that are not specific to the idea at hand.

You will sometimes have to omit fragments as the information you need runs throughout an entire paragraph but is not all directly related. Remember, any words removed between quoted lines must be replaced with […] to indicate your modification of the text, and must never under any circumstance modify the meaning.

Let’s look at an example of how to choose a precise quotation, a piece of text has been chosen from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde:

“Yes; it is very tragic, of course, but you must not get yourself mixed up in it. I see by The Standard that she was seventeen. I should have thought she was almost younger than that. She looked like a child, and seemed to know so little about acting. Dorian, you mustn’t let this thing get on your nerves. You must come and dine with me, and afterwards we will look in at the Opera. It is a Patti night, and everybody will be there. You can come to my sister’s box. She has got some smart woman with her.”

So, for example, if we use this fragment of text and want to give a quote for the statement: ‘the rich are capable of creating the most unheartfelt dilemmas, and then wash their hands of it with no consequences’, you could have two clear options.

Option #1: “You mustn’t let this thing get on your nerves. You must come and dine with me, and afterwards we will look in at the Opera.”

Option #2: “It is very tragic, of course, but you must not get yourself mixed up in it. […] You mustn’t let this thing get on your nerves. You must come and dine with me, and afterwards we will look in at the Opera.”

The first option is more direct, it gets straight to the point and gives solid evidence for the argument. The second option, however, may feel more complete to some writers, and depending on your statement it could prove additional ideas. You may have added that Lord Henry does know and recognise the gravity of the situation, but still concludes that taking no part in the matter is what is in Dorian’s best interest. Either way, all the extra dialogue is exempt from the chosen quotation as Lord Henry’s opinion of Sibyl is irrelevant to the arguing statement, and much the same with what is on at the opera, it simply doesn’t matter here.

*Notice as stated above, that the text omitted between one used sentence and another (in option #2) has been substituted with […].

There are of course other variations possible, even within this same example, it all depends on what point you are trying to make, and the emphasis you wish to give.

As one last example, option #3 could be: “You mustn’t let this thing get on your nerves. You must come and dine with me, and afterwards we will look in at the Opera. […] You can come to my sister’s box. She has got some smart woman with her.”

You may highlight here that not only is “the girl” irrelevant but also replaceable, the best advice is just to divert your attention as soon as possible, and dissociate your name from any scandal. You can also make a comment on the use of the word “smart”, and the way that neither the sister nor the woman was mentioned by name.