The Quote Search and Random Quotations pages allow you to choose between several quotation collections. The following collections are available.

Only the first three collections listed are maintained by us. Sources for the other files are listed below. We are not responsible for their accuracy, their content, or anything else.

Michael Moncur's (Cynical) Quotations
This is a collection of quotes which I (Michael) have been adding to since 1985. It was used for random login quotations on a BBS I was running on my Atari 800XL. It's come a long way since then, and currently contains about 2500 quotations. These are quotations that I like, and thus reflect my personality - they range from humorous to grimly ironic, with very few of the popular "inspirational" quotes (see below for those). I find humor much more inspiring. I have made every effort to keep this file accurate, so let me know if you find any errors or mis-attributions. The Quotes of the Day page is generated using this quote collection.
Laura Moncur's Motivational Quotations
This collection started in a recipe box at Laura's place of employment in 1996, and has grown to include over 2500 quotations. These are motivational, inspirational, and sometimes just clever quotations from a wide variety of sources. If Michael's collection leaves you in a bad mood, these are sure to lift your spirits. This collection is the source of the Motivational Quotes of the Day page.
The Classic Quotes Collection
This is a new collection compiled by Laura and myself from a variety of sources, with a focus on quotations that are commonly cited, from major historical figures and sources such as Shakespeare as well as more contemporary sources. While our other collections focus on our favorite quotations, this one is intended more as a general reference. About 2100 quotes so far.
Cole's Quotables
A collection compiled by M. Shawn Cole, who has graciously allowed it to be used here. This file is a combination of his eleven collections, including over 2400 well-attributed quotations. Shawn's own site is down right now, but the collection lives on here with his permission.
Rand Lindsly's Quotations
A collection compiled by Rand Lindsly at Sun Microsystems, which has been floating around FTP sites since 1993. Rand has given permission for us to include it here. It includes about 2800 quotations - there is some overlap with our collections, but there are many unique quotations as well.
Poor Man's College
This is the collection of 2000 quotes that Aapex software was giving away as a promotion for their quotations CD. Unfortunately, Aapex Software has vanished and this is pretty much all that's left.
Internet Collections
This is a "meta-collection" consisting of three smaller collections found on the Internet as "fortune" files. If you select this collection on the Search page, the quotations will be individually grouped by the collections they came from. The following collections are included:
  • The alt.quotations archives: A selection of about 650 quotations from the alt.quotations newsgroup archives. This one came from the yoyo FTP site. Includes many of the more familiar quotations.
  • 20th Century Quotations: From Kevin Harris: "A collection of famous, thought provoking and humorous quotations of the 20th century." About 300 quotes total. Copyright: Kevin Harris 1995 (may be freely distributed with this acknowledgement)
  • Quotations by Women: A collection of about 400 quotations by women (not necessarily about women.) I'm unsure who compiled this. This is one of the more accurate collections, but it's hardly representative of all of the best things women have said - We hope to include a better collection soon.
The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
A collection of about 1000 "daffy definitions" published in 1911. Quite well-known and frequently quoted on the net. Some of the definitions are dated, politically incorrect, or just plain confusing for those of us who learned English in the second half of the 1900's... But there are some excellent (and often misquoted) definitions in it. This is the entire (public domain) text, typed in by aloysius at west.darkside.com. Do a search on the keyword "Bierce" in my collection for a selection of my favorites.
Contributed Quotations
This collection was provided by our users - the quotations you enter into the Contribution Form are reviewed and potentially included here. While this collection is not as accurate in its attributions as the others, it does have a unique mix of subjects and is constantly growing (as of this writing, over 2200 quotations so far.)

If you have a file that you would like to see included here, contact us and we'll let you know how to get it to us. We reserve the right to include the files that we feel are worth including. We can convert files from just about any format.