Shorten quotations by eliminating words from the center of the quote and adding ellipses to show that certain words have been omitted. Shortening quotations allows the reader to focus on the important information. You can delete terms that are unnecessary or unrelated to your message. In many cases, deleting these terms will make your quotation shorter. For example, if the original quotation is "The more things change, the more they stay the same," you could shorten it to "Change is constant movement; stability is resistance to change." Deleting terms from quotations is just one way to reduce word count; others include shortening sentences, removing adjectives, and so on. It's best not to try and shorten quotations too much because then they lose their flavor. However, if you do need to get rid of some words, take out a pencil and paper, and see what happens when you delete them. It might create a better quote that fits in less space.