I want to put a quote at the very beginning of my essay. How do I go about doing that? Should it be the same or a smaller font than the rest of my essay?

I'm planning on putting the quote, then starting a new paragraph to begin the actual essay. Should I center it? Skip how many lines between it and my first paragraph? My entire essay is double-spaced.
Thanks for any help in advance.

I'd use the same font for the quotation, but of course enclose it in quotation marks. No additional spacing is needed.

Ok. Thank you!

Oh, wait- should I center it?

How long is the quotation? How many sentences?

Two sentences.

Then follow Ms. Sue's directions above -- and don't center it.

All right. Thank you.

DO NOT CENTER!!!!!!

To put a quote at the very beginning of your essay, you have a few options. Here's how you can go about doing it:

1. Formatting: The font size of the quote can be the same as the rest of your essay or slightly smaller. The choice depends on your personal preference or any specific guidelines provided by your instructor. Just ensure that it is easily readable and consistent with the rest of your essay.

2. Placement: Typically, you would start a new paragraph with the quote to clearly distinguish it from the rest of your text. However, if the quote is very short (one or two lines), you can also include it within the same paragraph. Again, this can vary depending on your personal style or any specific instructions you've been given.

3. Centering: It is common to center the quote to give it emphasis and make it visually distinct from the subsequent paragraphs. By centering it, you draw attention to its significance. However, this is not a strict rule, and it ultimately depends on your own design preferences and guidelines set by your instructor.

4. Skipping lines: Since your entire essay is double-spaced, you should skip one line between the quote and the start of your first paragraph. This helps to create a visual break and improve readability.

To summarize, when putting a quote at the very beginning of your essay, you can use the same or slightly smaller font size, start a new paragraph or include it within the first paragraph, center it for emphasis, and skip one line before beginning your first paragraph. Adapt these guidelines based on your preferences and any specific instructions you have been given to ensure consistency and readability in your essay.