How do you cite a quote of a quote?

If you need to cite a quote of a quote, for example, because the person who’s quoting it has added valuable commentary, you simply cite the main quote that contains the other quote. But if the inner quote is the one you need, it’s best to find its original source and cite that instead. Most academic style guides recommend citing primary rather than secondary sources.

If it’s not essential to include the specific phrasing of a quote, you can summarize or paraphrase the source instead. QuillBot’s Summarizer tool can help you summarize articles and other sources.