: How do I credit a quote if I am uncertain of the source? If I am writing a book and want to use a quote, but I either don't remember who said it or I am uncertain, how should I credit

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If your book is fiction then you have the option of attributing the quote to an unreliable character then having another character recognize the mistake either publicly or in internal/thought dialogue.

For example, have your antagonist credit Shakespeare for "I think therefore I am" then have your protagonist thinking, "What an idiot! That's not Shakespeare!".

Your protagonist is not then required to provide correct attribution. A change in the scene might distract them, leaving the attribution uncorrected.

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The first order of business is to acknowledge the quote as someone else's work and not your own by putting quotation marks around it. "I think therefore I am."*

The second thing to do is to cite the type of source, even if you don't know the exact one. "As she said in a song from an old movie, 'I'm as corny as Kansas in August.'"

Then you go on a site like Movies and Film SE (or Quora) and ask, "What old movie does the following line of an old song come from?"

And hopefully, you'll get the answer: ("I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy," South Pacific, Rodgers and Hammerstein.)

*Descartes.

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Since you are writing a book and not a blog, better search more and try to find out who said it.

If you are still unable to get the result, go for "unknown" or "a wise man/woman once said...".

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