Your Thesis Sentence

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
Aristotle

Why do famous quotes become famous? What is special about them? If you think about it, famous quotes are succinct, pithy statements that capture a reader’s interest and make a bold claim.

Sometimes, a thesis sentence should resemble a famous quote. Just like famous words by Mark Twain, the thesis sentence should intrigue a reader with its clever composition and promise of things to come:

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
Mark Twain

Wouldn’t this make a great thesis for an essay about courage and determination? Does it not prepare the reader for an interesting argument? It is short and to the point, but it could easily be the basis for lengthy conversation.

Just to be clear, this does not mean that students should attempt to use actual quotes for their own thesis statements! Instead, students can study several famous quotes in order to practice making their own concise sentences.

Consider this quote:

He who opens a school door, closes a prison.
Victor Hugo

This statement manages to encapsulate an enormous argument in one terse comment. If Victor Hugo wanted to use that statement as a thesis sentence, he could follow up with the following body paragraphs:

1. Education is important for personal growth.
   
2. Social awareness develops from education.
   
3. Education can reform.

See how the original statement leads to several ideas that follow up on his original statement and develop an argument?

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill

Once again, the statement sets up an argument in interesting but terse language. Churchill might follow up that statement with the following topics:

1. Everybody fails.
   
2. You can overcome failure.
   
3. You can learn from failure.

See how each topic can become a body paragraph? Just for practice, look over the following quotes and come up with your own follow-up statements. By studying these quotes and practicing in this way, you can develop your own ability to sum up your thesis in a brief but engaging sentence.

Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.
Bette Davis

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.
Henry Ford

In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.
Carl Sagan

If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.
Bill Cosby

The most successful students know that practice always pays. You can read more famous quotes to get the hang of creating concise, engaging statements.