<p>Hi, I was just wondering whether or not it would be appropriate for me to include this quote in my "Tell us about your favorite books" essay.</p>
<p>Nietzsche is the most sarcastic son of a b***h ever to set foot on this earth. Just say that; then write whatever else you want, like he would. Werner Timmermann</p>
<p>It's in my essay uncensored at the moment, but I'd really appreciate any insight on this. Thanks!</p>
<p>It could be wiser to find another way than writing “son of a **<strong><em>” which can be detrimental to your application. Moreover if you use another word, the reader won’t notice that’s not the original version. So, try to find a better way. By the way, don’t censoring it would do nothing but making void the effect of your quotation. “son of a </em></strong>” is vulgar and it won’t let the reader indifferent but you should be careful with that.</p>
<p>It is a very aggressive quote, so not sure how you are using it, but when I read it, I found it jarring and harsh. You would not want someone’s emotional reaction to color their opinion of you. ( and I have no idea what the rest of your essay is about) but to paraphrase Maya Angelou … people may forget what you said, but will never forget how you made them feel. My advice is to err on the side of caution unless you know your essay supports this “in your face” quote and your essay shows a true picture of your character.</p>
<p>Hmm, reading it back it does sound kind of harsh. Any more opinions?</p>
<p>I think it’s fine. It’s a direct quote. Plus many great authors use curse words to add color and character. Unless you are applying to a strict religious college, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.</p>
<p>What the other two posters said. We’re all going to have to same opinion…that is way to much.</p>
<p>EDIT:Apparently not. I still would advise against it.</p>
<p>Well one of the essays that were accepted by Harvard [that I found online - I’m not totally sure how legit it is] had “s***” in it, but it was in context and used more as humor [he stepped on crap or something, I forget the details, so he said the s-word]. I don’t think it would have too negative an impact, but I’d remove the quote unless it’s important to the whole of the essay.</p>
<p>If you don’t need to use a direct quote, then it would be probably better to paraphrase using more acceptable words. And if you do, just consider the fact there might be something else that wants to get your message across and you wouldn’t have to risk any sort of issue. If you do use it, I would suggest censoring.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback guys. I don’t think I’ll be using it, the first draft of my essay didn’t even have it so it’s not an integral part.</p>
<p>Don’t use it. Your admissions officer might not appreciate it, but who can say for sure. It’s a quote after all.</p>
<p>Your readers are interested in your thoughts, not those of Werner Timmerman.</p>