Terms of Use

1. Introduction

This page sets out the terms of use for The Quotation Index ("the site"). By accessing or using the site, you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, please do not use the site.

The site is operated from Denmark by The Quotation Index, Denmark ("we", "us", "our"). You can contact us at [email protected].

The Quotation Index is a selective editorial collection of quotations created to make significant ideas and enduring wisdom accessible to a broad audience. It is not intended to be a comprehensive record of everything an author has said or written. Quotations are selected because, in our editorial judgment, the particular idea is worth understanding and sharing.

Every quotation is checked against an identified source and is accompanied by an original essay written specifically for that quotation. The essay explains, interprets or reviews the quotation’s meaning, context or significance. The site also publishes short author biographies, book summaries and editorial metadata such as tags and categories.

Inclusion of a quotation reflects our editorial judgment about that particular idea. It does not imply endorsement of every view, action or aspect of the life of the person to whom the quotation is attributed.

2. Copyright status and quotation rights

The Quotation Index is a selective editorial collection of quotations presented together with an explanation of their origin and meaning.

The operator is established in Denmark, and we assess the publication of quotations primarily under the Danish Copyright Act (ophavsretsloven). In applying the Act, we take account of the Danish Ministry of Culture’s guidance, God citatskik og plagiat i tekster - vejledende retningslinjer (2006). The guidance expressly identifies “citatsamlinger i stil med Bevingede ord” as falling within the quotation right where the quotations are presented in connection with an account of their origin and meaning. The Quotation Index is designed on that model.

Sections 22 and 63 of the Danish Copyright Act are central, while §§ 3, 4 and 11(2) are also relevant to translations, attribution and permitted alterations.

Quotations from public-domain works. Under § 63, copyright in a work generally lasts until 70 years have elapsed from the end of the author’s year of death. For a jointly authored work whose authors’ contributions cannot be separated as independent works (§ 6), the period generally runs from the end of the last surviving co-author’s year of death. The work ordinarily enters the public domain in Denmark on 1 January after the relevant 70-year period has expired.

The expiry of copyright in the original work does not necessarily make every translation or adaptation public domain: under § 4, a translation or adaptation may have its own copyright. We therefore check whether the exact version displayed on the site, including any particular translation used, remains protected.

Quotations from protected works. Where the wording of a quotation remains protected by copyright, we reproduce it in reliance on the statutory right of quotation in § 22 (citatretten), following an editorial assessment of the particular use. Section 22 permits quotation from a work that has lawfully been made public, provided that the quotation accords with proper practice and does not exceed the extent required by its purpose.

Each quotation from a protected work forms part of an original editorial treatment directed specifically to that quotation. The accompanying essay explains, interprets or reviews the idea expressed by the quotation and helps the reader understand its origin, meaning, context or significance. The quotation is presented with information documenting its source and attribution. No protected quotation is included in the collection without its accompanying quotation-specific essay.

We reproduce only the wording reasonably needed for the relevant editorial purpose. We assess repeated quotations from the same protected work cumulatively and limit their number and extent so that the site does not substitute for the work or interfere unreasonably with its normal exploitation. In accordance with §§ 3 and 11(2), we identify the author and source as required by proper practice, do not alter the quoted material more than the permitted use requires and, where relevant, identify the translator and edition used.

3. Sourcing and accuracy

Every quotation on the site carries a source, and every quotation has been checked by a human reviewer to confirm that it appears in the source cited. Quotations are labelled according to the nature of that source:

• Primary source — The quotation has been verified directly in a work authored or delivered by the person quoted, such as a book, essay, speech or another original publication.
• Secondary source — The quotation is documented in a credible and verifiable source that quotes the person directly, such as a reputable interview or another reliable publication, but a primary source has not been identified.
• No reliable source — Substantial research has not uncovered a credible primary or secondary source. Such quotations may still be included when they are widely attributed or otherwise notable, but they are clearly marked so readers can see the limits of the available evidence.

Despite this care, we cannot guarantee that every quotation, attribution, translation, date or piece of context is complete and free of error. Misattribution has a long history, and scholarship moves on. If you believe something on the site is wrong, please tell us at [email protected].

Verification and editorial selection. Verification establishes that the displayed wording appears in the source identified and, where relevant, records whether the attribution is primary, secondary or not reliable. Verification alone does not determine whether a quotation is included. The collection is selective: a quotation is published only where, in our editorial judgment, the idea it expresses serves the site’s purpose of making significant ideas and enduring wisdom accessible.

4. Our original content

The following material is original work created by or for The Quotation Index, and is protected by copyright: the author biographies, the book summaries, the explanations of individual quotations, the tags, categories and other editorial metadata, and the selection, verification, structure and arrangement of the collection as a whole.

This original content is © The Quotation Index, 2026. The collection may additionally enjoy protection as a database under § 71 of the Danish Copyright Act.

You are welcome to read and browse the site, to link to any of its pages, and to quote briefly from our original texts within the limits of applicable quotation rights and with clear attribution to The Quotation Index.

You may not, without our prior written permission, systematically copy, scrape, harvest or bulk-download content from the site, nor republish our original content or any substantial part of the collection or its metadata in any medium.

For the avoidance of doubt, we claim no rights over the quotations themselves where they are in the public domain: you are free to use public-domain quotations entirely independently of this site. Where a quotation is still protected by copyright, any further use you make of it is your own responsibility under the law that applies to you.

5. Notice to rights holders

We aim to remain comfortably within the limits of § 22 and to attribute all material correctly.

If you are an author, publisher or other rights holder and believe that content on the site exceeds what the right of quotation permits, or is otherwise unlawful, please write to us at [email protected] with details of the material concerned. We will review the matter promptly and remove or amend the content where that is appropriate.

6. Disclaimer and limitation of liability

The site and its content are provided “as is”, for general interest and information only, and nothing on the site constitutes professional advice of any kind.

To the fullest extent permitted by Danish law, we make no warranties in relation to the site and accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from your use of, or inability to use, the site, or from reliance on its content.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Where the site links to external websites, those sites are outside our control and we take no responsibility for their content or practices.

7. Changes to these Terms

We may revise these Terms from time to time, for instance to reflect changes to the site, to our practices or to the law. The date at the top of this page shows when the Terms were last updated.

If you continue to use the site after a revision, you accept the revised Terms.

8. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms, and any dispute arising out of or in connection with the site, are governed by Danish law, and the Danish courts have jurisdiction.

If you are a consumer resident in another EU country, you may in addition rely on any mandatory protections afforded by the law of that country.