How to Cite a Dr. Seuss Quote in APA, MLA, or Chicago
Have you ever eaten green eggs and ham? Maybe not, but you’ve probably read the book about them when you were young! Green Eggs and Ham was written by Dr. Seuss, the well-known pen name of American children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel. He’s famous for works such as The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, and The Lorax. He would go on to publish over 40 children’s books before his death in 1991.
There are many well-known and often reproduced quotes and sayings by Geisel that have been published in other works of literature and are often used in academic papers.
Do you want to cite a quote by Dr. Seuss in your paper? Read on for tips and formatting examples for how to cite a Dr. Seuss quote in MLA style, APA, and Chicago formats.
In this guide, we will use the following quote by Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go! as an example:
“Be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s a great balancing act.”
– Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Information you may need to cite a Dr. Seuss quote:
- Author or authors
- The title of the book or website where you found the quote
- Publisher name
- Date published
- Location of publisher
- Page numbers
- URL (if used to locate the quote)
Cite a Dr. Seuss quote in print in MLA format:
MLA format citation structure:
Author Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year.
Example citation:
Seuss, Dr. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Random House, 1990.
If you’re looking for more MLA help on creating a full MLA Works Cited page or an MLA annotated bibliography, check the EasyBib Writing Center for resources.
Cite a Dr. Seuss quote found online in MLA format:
MLA format citation structure:
Author Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year. Website Title, URL.
Example citation:
Seuss, Dr. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Random House, 1990. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=1q_xAwAAQBAJ&printsec.
In-text citations for Dr. Seuss quotes in MLA format:
Whether you find a Dr. Seuss quote in a print book or online, the format for your parenthetical in-text citation is the same.
In-text citation structure:
(Author Last Name page #)
Example citation:
(Seuss 9)
Cite a Dr. Seuss quote in print in APA format:
APA reference structure:
Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year) Book title. City, State Published: Publisher.
Example reference:
Seuss, Dr. (1990). Oh, the places you’ll go!. New York, NY: Random House.
Cite a Dr. Seuss quote found online in APA format:
APA reference structure:
Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year) Book title. Retrieved from URL.
Example reference:
Seuss, Dr. (1990). Oh, the places you’ll go!. Retrieved from //books.google.com/books?id=1q_xAwAAQBAJ&printsec
Cite a Dr. Seuss quote in print in Chicago Style:
Chicago citation structure:
Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Example citation:
Seuss, Dr. Oh, The Places You’ll Go!. New York: Random House, 1990.
Cite a Dr. Seuss quote found online in Chicago Style:
Chicago citation structure:
Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. URL.
Example citation:
Seuss, Dr. Oh, The Places You’ll Go!. New York: Random House, 1990. //books.google.com/books?id=1q_xAwAAQBAJ&printsec
Now that you’ve cited your sources, give the EasyBib plagiarism tool a try. If you’re in need of more quotes, review our other EasyBib topic guides on Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, and other quotable figures!