Either way, it's the height of laziness when it comes to debate, argument, and research.
I'm sure that every politician has been subjected to his or her words being taken out of context; in fact, that's a common defense when they are caught making a boneheaded remark. I'm sure that most of us have experienced the same thing, when we've had someone throw our own words back at us (usually with an obnoxious "You said--direct quote!--blah di blah blah") and have to tell them that they took that completely out of context.
The truth is that if one is dead set on proving their point to the exclusion of the facts, they will probably be able to find a quote to support their misguided opinion. I love a good quote as much as the next person, and if it is merely a nice turn of phrase or a sentiment with which I agree, I'll simply enjoy the quote for what it is. However, if I'm trying to build a case for my argument, I make sure that I have a broader understanding of the context in which the quote appeared, as well as the person's overarching philosophy.
For example, do you want to make an argument that Einstein felt that religion had a place in science? Sift through some of his writings, and you'll undoubtedly find a quote buried in there that matches your argument. But if you take the time to do a little research, if you have the intellectual capacity to comprehend the bigger picture, you'll find that he believed no such thing, stated repeatedly that he did not believe in a personal god, and in fact found such a concept "childlike." If he had any inclinations toward faith at all, it was the faith that certain physical truths in the universe must hold true; that is the faith that he spoke of scientists having. Conversely, he wrote of people of a religious bent needing to have faith in the unalterable precepts of science, understanding that such concepts are a given. Einstein wrote of faith in facts, not in unknowable entities. He did not argue that such entities are undoubtedly nonexistent or forever unknowable, but believed that scientific research should seek to understand as much as possible, and that as we continue to seek answers, more arcane knowledge of our universe will be revealed.
Cherry picking and quote mining is fine for when you want an inspiring or fun quote to share, passing along pithy wisdom from Paul Harvey or RuPaul; when you are attempting to put forth a coherent argument, unless you take the time to understand the broader meaning behind a person's words, it will probably come back to bite you on the ass. Sifting through quote sites on the Web can result in a big ol' blob of protein on your face. Egg, I mean. Just ask that mavericky Sarah Palin. Better yet, ask her mavericky ghost writer. In her mavericky Going Rogue book, Palin (exaggerated finger quotes) quoted the legendary basketball coach John Wooden (the jury is out on whether or not he's mavericky):
Our land is everything to us... I will tell you one of the things we remember on our land. We remember our grandfathers paid for it--with their lives.
That seems like kind of a strange thing for John Wooden to say, doesn't it? That's because he didn't say it. The actual quote belongs to a Native American activist by the name of John Wooden Legs:
Our land is everything to us. It is the only place in the world where Cheyennes talk the Cheyenne language to each other. It is the only place where Cheyennes remember the same things together. I will tell you one of the things we remember on our land. We remember our grandfathers paid for it--with their life. My people and the Sioux defeated General Custer at the Little Big Horn.
Well, that's completely different, isn't it? In this case, not only did they leave out significant portions of the quote, they didn't even attribute it to the right person.
If you really want to put forth a convincing argument, you probably need to spend a little more time learning about things, rather than lazily stringing together something that merely fits your own narrow minded viewpoint. If you don't, you're liable to have some smartass like me make like Prometheus's liver-picking eagle and pick apart your argument.
Kind of like what just happened here.
