Thanks for the info on the songs. How about quotes from speeches? Does the same rule apply if I use a famous quote from a person who is still alive? Thank you.

Karen

You can quote people briefly (note how the newspapers quote speeches liberally). However, you may encounter trouble if you use someone’s quotes to make a point in your article that is NOT about the speech itself. If you make it appear the person is somehow endorsing your ideas in your article, that could get you into trouble if they have not given their permission for you to use their words in that context.