Citing a quote in a college essay

I started taking some college classes and I have to write some essays and I have to (obviously) cite any sources I use. I found a quote from Aristotle but I can find no actual source for it other than Wikiquote and I am unsure how to properly cite such a thing. None of my university resources say how to do this other than differentiating between stuff that is common knowledge and not, with common knowledge material not needing proper sourcing (other than identifying who said it). I am aware how to cite a quote that is in some form of a material (journal, website, magazine etc), but this one has me stumped because I am unsure if it is considered common knowledge.I have asked my class mates (this is an online class, btw) and my instructor, but fuck those idiots don't like to answer questions and instead just bloviate on about themselves in order to meet the participation requirement. I ask you guys because I know a number of you have written academic essays and ought to know proper APA format.

Not important at all, but I am 'done" with the paper and it is my only source (no sources are required, per se, but the instructions do say to cite any sources). It does the latter, in a way. The essay is about critical thinking and ethics and the quote is "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.", so I think it fits quite well given the context. I can easily take it out, but I would like to know for future reference. All of my google searches seem to indicate that there is no one hard and fast way to do it.As it stands now, I have the quote opening a paragraph like this

quote:

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"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." This quote from Aristotle....

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Should I do the quote in quotation marks, followed by (Aristotle) or is the way I have it good enough? I do have to prove a reference sheet, so would I have to include this on there as well? Or does it fall under "common knowledge"?Here is what the school says in regards to what needs to be documented/cited:

quote:

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Which Sources Require Documentation?

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Everything in a paper that does not contain common knowledge or your original ideas must be documented.

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Be sure to document the following types of sources:
◾Direct quotations
◾Books and periodicals
◾Movies and videos
◾Poems and songs
◾Personal communications
◾Interviews
◾Visual information
◾Websites
◾All information obtained online

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Many are under the impression that information on the Internet does not require documentation unless it is from a specific online journal. However, all information found online should be considered copyrighted material and should not be used without proper documentation.

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A key rule to follow is When in doubtdocument.

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Which Sources do not Require Documentation?

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You do not need to document:
◾Your original ideas
◾Common knowledge

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Good deal. Thanks. I think I will take it out, though.

That is exactly how I initially wanted to use it but I was unsure how it would look to lead off with a quote that is separate from the paragraph. I kinda thought it would make it appear as though I was writing about that phrase. Thanks.Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

I am pursuing my Bachelors in IT with a certificate in Network Support (I Am trying to change it to a CCNA certificate because I enrolled in haste for I had been putting off college for the last 8 years and kept making excuses, so finally one day I said fuck it and got enrolled quick like within a week) and all undergraduate papers are to be in APA format. That looks good and I agree about getting into a good habit of providing proper source material regardless. I hate writing as it is, so I would hate to get dinged for something so "trivial" that is just a matter of research. I'd rather my points be taken off for my atrocious creativity and lack of ability to expound on original thoughts.Thanks for all the help everyone. I asked this same question in class discussion 3 days ago and have yet to get a single response. I also asked about the naming convention for the Word file and crickets are the only respondents.Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

The university has all kinds of generators so that, if I have a website, book, magazine or journal, I can plug that info in and it will format it properly. The thing is, I didn't know how to attribute a quote that doesn't seem to be from any of those things and is apparently just something Aristotle said at some point, maybe. They also have a program for us to install that properly formats word documents into APA style and has an automatic cite tool (easily plug in source material).Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

Of course. That is why I came to you guys with this thread. I fucked off in HS and didn't really apply myself. I have no intention of continuing that behavior now in college.Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

I'd imagine so. However, like I said upthread, that is proving to be an insurmountable task as no one in this class seems to be interested in helping one another or actually having a discussion about ANYTHING aside from their own personal experience. And the only apparent reason they do that is to meet the weekly "post 8 substantive messages every week on 3 separate days" quota for participation credit. Homework assignments are due every Tuesday at midnight and last weeks still hasn't been touched."Less than impressed, I am" (Yoda, never)

I appreciate all the help, but I could not find a suitable source for the quote. I am now curious how the hell it is actually attributed to him because there is no apparent book or historical record that I can find. All of the university sources I found were simply personal pages for a student or professor that essentially listed it as a neat quote by Aristotle. It was more work than necessary and, like NoNukes pointed out, I'd rather not have my first paper start off with a questionable quote or reference. Instead, i chose a Hitchens quote that is actually in a book."The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks" (Hitchens, C. (2001). Letters To A Young contrarian. New York, NY: Basic Books.)Simple, to the point, and best of all, it's Hitchens.