DO SEMICOLONS GO INSIDE QUOTES

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In American English grammar, semicolons generally go outside quotation marks when they are used to separate two independent clauses. However, semicolons are rarely used inside quotation marks. Here are 29 examples where semicolons could potentially be used inside quotes:

“To be or not to be”; that is the question.

“I have a dream”; a dream that one day our nation will rise up.

“Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?”; she whispered from her balcony.

“May the force be with you”; a phrase you’ll often hear in Star Wars.

“Life is like a box of chocolates”; you never know what you’re gonna get.

“I have nothing to declare”; Oscar Wilde famously said as he arrived in America.

“I am not a crook”; Richard Nixon stated during a press conference.

“Elementary, my dear Watson”; Sherlock Holmes exclaimed as he solved the mystery.

“Houston, we have a problem”; a line famously uttered during the Apollo 13 mission.

“To infinity and beyond”; the catchphrase of Buzz Lightyear.

“Goodnight, Moon”; a beloved children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown.

“I think, therefore I am”; René Descartes’ famous philosophical statement.

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!”; a common reaction upon seeing the superhero.

“Hakuna Matata”; the Swahili phrase from The Lion King meaning “no worries.”

“I came, I saw, I conquered”; Julius Caesar’s famous quote.

“To the Batmobile!”; a phrase often used by Batman’s sidekick, Robin.

“I am the walrus”; a line from the song by The Beatles.

“I have a cunning plan”; Baldrick said, trying to impress his master.

“You can’t handle the truth”; Colonel Jessup shouted in A Few Good Men.

“Just keep swimming”; Dory suggested in Finding Nemo.

“Luke, I am your father”; a famous misquote from the Star Wars franchise.

“Resistance is futile”; the Borg famously declared on Star Trek.

“To thine own self be true”; Polonius advised in Hamlet.

“I’m king of the world!”; Jack Dawson shouted in Titanic.

“You had me at hello”; Dorothy Boyd confessed in Jerry Maguire.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good”; the Marauder’s Map proclaimed in Harry Potter.

“I do not like green eggs and ham”; Sam-I-Am stated in Dr. Seuss’ book.

“I’m your huckleberry”; Doc Holliday coolly remarked in Tombstone.

“Houston, Tranquility Base here; the Eagle has landed”; Neil Armstrong reported during the Apollo 11 mission.