--- title: "Quotes and Authors" description: "Participants receive either a quote or an author slip, mingle to find their matching partner, and discuss their knowledge or impressions of the author. The paired participants form two-person teams or small project pods." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/quotes-and-authors/" --- # Quotes and Authors Participants receive either a quote or an author slip, mingle to find their matching partner, and discuss their knowledge or impressions of the author. The paired participants form two-person teams or small project pods. **Time:** 10 minutes. Source suggests 5 to 15 minutes. 10 minutes fits full matching, short pair conversations, and grouping. **People:** 4 to 24. Mingle in a full room, then converse in pairs (or trios if odd). ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Form pairs or small groups through an interactive mingling search and short introductory dialogue. **Use it when:** Use at the start of a workshop or meeting when you need to break a group into pairs without arbitrary counting off. **Skip it when:** Skip when group members cannot move freely around the room, or when time requires instant assigned pairings. ## Materials and tools - Pre-cut paper slips with one quote or author name per slip (1 slip per person, paired in advance) - Master reference sheet of quotes and authors for the facilitator ## Before participants arrive 1. Select enough quote-and-author pairs to match participant count. 2. If there is an odd number of participants, add one extra quote matching an existing author to form a trio. 3. Print and cut slips into separate pieces, keeping matched pairs tracked on a master sheet. ## Say this to open Everyone will receive a slip of paper. Half of you have a quote, and the other half have an author or speaker. When I say go, walk around, talk to people, and find the person who holds your matching half. Once matched, stay together and answer this prompt: What was your first encounter with this person or their work, or what do you know about them? If neither of you knows them, discuss what the quote suggests to you. ## How to run it ### 1. Distribute slips and explain task (2 minutes) Hand one slip to each person face down. Read the opening script aloud. Answer any quick procedural questions before starting the mingling. ### 2. Mingle and pair up (4 minutes) Participants circulate and talk to one another to find their match. Facilitator wanders with the master sheet to offer hints if anyone gets stuck or does not recognize a name. ### 3. Pair conversation (3 minutes) Once matched, pairs step to the side. Each person shares their first memory, knowledge, or impression of the author or quote. If neither knows the author, they discuss their reaction to the quote. ### 4. Wrap-up and regroup (1 minutes) Bring the room to attention. Confirm all pairs are matched. Instruct pairs to sit together as working partners for the next agenda item. ## Debrief questions - How did you and your partner confirm you were a match? - What common ground or new fact came up when discussing your author? **Finished output:** The room is divided into conversational pairs ready for subsequent group work. ## Remote Assign each participant a private direct message containing either a quote or an author name. Open the main room or small breakout rooms where people can ask each other what they have. When two participants find a match, they confirm via private message to the host, who places them into their own breakout room for a 3-minute chat. ## Hybrid Assign in-person participants paper slips and remote participants private chat prompts. Keep remote attendees pairing with remote attendees, and in-person pairing with in-person, to avoid communication delays during room mingling. ## Access and participation choices - Participants who prefer not to walk around can remain seated; the facilitator directs searching participants to visit seated members. - If someone does not know the author, they may talk about the quote's literal meaning or pass on personal recollection without penalty. ## If the session gets stuck **A participant does not recognize the author or quote on their slip.** Provide a quick hint from the master sheet, or tell them to read their text aloud so others can recognize it. **An odd number of participants attends.** Use one trio: two people receive different quotes from the same author, and one person receives that author slip. ## Terms used here - Master reference sheet: A private list kept by the facilitator showing all correct quote-author pairs for quick verification. ## Participant material: Printable Quote and Author Slips Quote: All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Author: William Shakespeare Quote: Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. Author: James Baldwin Quote: The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Author: Walt Disney Quote: If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. Author: Oprah Winfrey Quote: Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Author: Mother Teresa Quote: Do one thing every day that scares you. Author: Eleanor Roosevelt Quote: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Author: Martin Luther King Jr. Quote: Well done is better than well said. Author: Benjamin Franklin Quote: The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Author: Lao Tzu Quote: It always seems impossible until it's done. Author: Nelson Mandela Quote: Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Author: Marie Curie Quote: You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Author: Mahatma Gandhi ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook (p. 333). Retained the core pairing mechanic from Relationship Makers Handbook (quotes matched to authors, followed by sharing first experience). UWT structured the timing to 10 minutes, added a concrete backup prompt for unfamiliar authors, specified handling for odd participant counts, and supplied 12 sample pairs. Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/quotes-and-authors/