Quotations around chapter titles?

Pup

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Each chapter title in my nonfiction manuscript is a phrase taken from a quote in the chapter. Within the chapter, of course, there are quotation marks and a footnote.

Should I also put quotation marks around the chapter titles?

In other words, here's a sample where "This is a Pithy Quote" is the chapter title:

"This Is a Pithy Quote"

John Doe was well known for his aphorisms and one day he said, "This is a pithy quote and I hope you all appreciate it."* After he made such a ridiculous statement, all his friends laughed at him and wouldn't let him join in their reindeer games. And so the chapter continues for 5,000 words.

*John Doe, Collected Aphorisms (New York: Publishing Co., 1984), 3.

Should there be quotation marks around that chapter title in the manuscript? They don't look quite right and they make the table of contents appear fussy and busy, but I keep telling myself they ought to be there.
 

Twick

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I'm not a grammar expert, but I have seen historical works that have chapter titles in quotation marks, if they are taken from a quotation given in the chapter. So, I think it's OK, and even helps focus that this is something someone is going to say within said chapter.
 

evilrooster

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If somebody said it, and you want the reader of the book to know that somebody said it when they read the chapter title, put it in quotes.

I've seen that used very effectively. With the right quotes, it's a great way to pull the reader into each chapter.
 

Dennis E. Taylor

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Is every chapter title a quotation? If so, I wouldn't bother. Readers will get the idea quickly enough. If only some are quotations, then yes you need the quotes to give the proper flavor to those chapter titles.
 

Pup

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Thanks, everyone! Yes, every chapter title is a quote from within that chapter--I'm trying to be consistent, and I have quite a few pithy quotes so it's not much of a stretch to do.

I think I'll go with the majority, and include each title in quotation marks. It will help to minimize confusion, if the chapter title seems a bit odd, and will probably be clearer in the long run.