Phrase Meaning – Positive Phrase for Quoting Something Not Word by Word

#quotationsphrase-meaningphrase-usage

Sometimes I quote in my writing sombody else, but I do not know the exact words the other person had used. What is a concise and positive(*) phrase to describe this? I found different options on the net:

  • I quote keeping with the sense: "…"
  • I quote in spirit: "…"
  • I quote conceptually: "…"

or even:

  • I paraphrase: "…"

However I am not sure what's the normal/standard way to phrase this.


(*) With positive I mean I want to avoid a phrase like I quote not to the letter or I quote not word for word.

Best Answer

My suggestion:

I quote in my own words.

This doesn't have either a positive or a negative connotation, just that you don't remember it precisely and will attempt to reconstruct it as best you can from memory.

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