The Reader's Guide to Saving Quotes and Building a Personal Commonplace Book

You've just read something that perfectly captures an idea you've been struggling to articulate. A sentence so good you want to remember it forever. So you... do nothing. You keep reading. And the quote is lost.

We've all been there. Great ideas slip away because we don't have a system for capturing them. The solution has existed for centuries: the commonplace book.

What Is a Commonplace Book?

A commonplace book is a personal collection of quotes, ideas, and passages gathered from reading. The practice dates back to ancient Rome and was common among writers, philosophers, and thinkers for centuries.

Famous keepers of commonplace books include:

• John Locke (philosopher)
• Thomas Jefferson (president, polymath)
• Virginia Woolf (author)
• Ralph Waldo Emerson (essayist)
• Ronald Reagan (president)

The concept is simple: when you encounter something worth remembering, you write it down. Over time, you build a personal anthology of the best ideas you've encountered.

Why Saving Quotes Matters

Memory Is Unreliable

You will forget most of what you read. Research suggests we retain only a fraction of information consumed. Saving quotes creates an external memory that doesn't fade.

Quotes Compound

A single quote is interesting. A collection of quotes reveals patterns:

• Ideas that resonate with you
• Themes you return to
• Authors whose thinking aligns with yours
• Contradictions worth exploring

Retrieval Enables Application

An idea in your head is potential. An idea you can retrieve is practical. When you need inspiration, wisdom, or the perfect expression of something, a searchable quote collection delivers.

Reading Becomes Active

The act of selecting quotes forces engagement. You're not passively consuming — you're evaluating, deciding, curating. This deeper processing improves retention and understanding.

What to Capture

Not everything is worth saving. Be selective:

Capture: Ideas Perfectly Expressed

Sometimes an author says something you've thought but couldn't articulate. These are gold. They give you language for your own ideas.

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Capture: Insights That Shift Perspective

Quotes that make you see something differently. The "aha" moments. The reframings.

"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." — Niels Bohr

Capture: Practical Wisdom

Advice you want to remember. Principles worth following. Tactics worth trying.

"Don't aim at success — the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it." — Viktor Frankl

Capture: Beautiful Writing

Language that delights. Sentences you wish you'd written. Prose that demonstrates mastery.

"The sea is everything." — Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Capture: Contradictions and Tensions

Ideas that conflict with things you believe or other things you've saved. These create productive tension.

Don't Capture: Everything

A commonplace book full of mediocre quotes is useless. Quality over quantity. If you're saving multiple quotes per page, you're saving too much.

How to Capture Quotes

While Reading Physical Books

Method 1: Post-it flags Mark pages with tabs. After finishing, return to flagged pages and copy quotes.

Pros: Doesn't interrupt reading flow Cons: Requires second pass

Method 2: Margin notes Write a symbol (★, !, ?) next to important passages. Return later to transcribe.

Pros: Simple, permanent Cons: Some resist marking books

Method 3: Immediate capture Stop and record immediately when you encounter something worth saving.

Pros: Captures context and reaction Cons: Interrupts reading flow

While Reading E-books

Method 1: Built-in highlighting Use Kindle highlights, Apple Books markup, etc. Export later.

Pros: Fast, integrated Cons: Export can be clunky, trapped in ecosystem

Method 2: Screenshot Take screenshots of important passages. Organize in a photos folder.

Pros: Preserves exact formatting Cons: Not searchable as text

Method 3: Copy/paste Copy text and paste into your notes system immediately.

Pros: Immediate organization Cons: Interrupts reading

While Listening to Audiobooks

Method 1: Bookmarks + notes Use the audiobook app's bookmark feature. Add voice memo or note with key words to find later.

Pros: Captures the moment Cons: Requires transcription later

Method 2: Pause and record Pause, type or speak the quote into a notes app.

Pros: Accurate capture Cons: Interrupts listening

Method 3: Clip feature Some audiobook apps let you save clips. Use this when available.

Pros: Captures exact audio Cons: Not all apps support it

Organizing Your Quotes

A pile of unsorted quotes is better than nothing but not much. Organization makes quotes useful.

By Book

The simplest organization: quotes grouped under the book they came from.

Pros: Easy to implement, good for book-level review Cons: Hard to find quotes by theme across books

By Theme/Topic

Group quotes by subject regardless of source.

Pros: Easy to find quotes on specific topics Cons: Requires categorization effort, themes can be arbitrary

By Tag

Apply multiple tags to each quote. A quote about leadership from a biography might be tagged: leadership, biography, career.

Pros: Flexible, multiple discovery paths Cons: Requires consistent tagging discipline

Chronological

Simply save quotes in order captured.

Pros: Effortless Cons: Hard to find anything specific

Hybrid Approach

Most practical: organize by book (automatic) with tags for cross-cutting themes.

Using Your Quotes

Capturing quotes is only valuable if you use them.

Regular Review

Schedule time to read through your quotes. Monthly or quarterly works for most people. You'll:

• Rediscover forgotten gems
• See patterns you didn't notice
• Find quotes relevant to current situations
• Reinforce memory

Active Retrieval

When you need wisdom on a topic, search your collection first. Looking for motivation? Search "motivation." Writing about leadership? Search your leadership quotes.

Share Thoughtfully

Quotes are conversation starters. Share ones that resonate on social media, in conversations, in presentations. Attribution matters — always credit the source.

Connect Ideas

Look for quotes that speak to each other. Two authors saying similar things from different angles. Contradictory quotes worth holding in tension. Building these connections deepens understanding.

Apply Practically

The best quotes change behavior. When you save practical wisdom, commit to trying it. Track what you've actually applied.

Digital vs. Physical Commonplace Books

Physical Notebook

Pros:

• Tactile, personal
• No technology required
• Longevity (paper lasts)
• Focused, single-purpose

Cons:

• Not searchable
• Can be lost
• Hard to back up
• Limited space

Digital System

Pros:

• Fully searchable
• Unlimited capacity
• Easy backup
• Accessible anywhere
• Shareable

Cons:

• Requires technology
• Can be overwhelming
• Privacy concerns (cloud storage)
• Platform dependence

Recommendation

For most modern readers, digital makes sense. The searchability alone justifies it. But use whatever system you'll actually maintain.

Building the Habit

Start Small

Don't try to capture everything from every book. Start with one quote per book. Build from there.

Make Capture Frictionless

The harder it is to save quotes, the fewer you'll save. Keep your capture tool accessible. One tap should be enough.

Review to Reinforce

The capture habit sticks when you see value from it. Regular review demonstrates that value and motivates continued capture.

Don't Aim for Perfection

Some quotes won't be perfectly transcribed. Some categorization will be inconsistent. A imperfect commonplace book is infinitely more valuable than no commonplace book.

Quotes as a Reading Enhancement

Building a commonplace book transforms reading. You're no longer just consuming — you're curating. Building. Creating something that will serve you for years.

The quotes you save become a reflection of your intellectual journey. Looking back at five years of quotes, you'll see what mattered to you, how your thinking evolved, what ideas shaped your path.

Start saving quotes. Your future self will thank you.

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Quotes and Notes in Leaflet

Leaflet includes a complete quotes and notes system designed for readers who want to capture and use what they read.

Capture quotes:

• Save passages from any book
• Add page numbers for reference
• Record your reaction and context
• Mark favorites for quick access

Add notes:

• Personal notes attached to books
• Thoughts, reactions, ideas
• Questions for future reference
• Connections to other books

Find what you saved:

• Search across all quotes and notes
• Filter by book or date
• Browse favorites
• Full-text search finds any phrase

Keep it private:

• Quotes stored in your iCloud
• Synced across your devices
• Never uploaded to external servers
• Completely private commonplace book

Your best ideas, preserved and searchable, private and permanent.

Download Leaflet — Build your personal commonplace book.