An epigraph is a brief quotation placed at the beginning of a book or at the head of a chapter, article, story, or other work. Most epigraphs are ornamental, helping to set the tone or mood of a work but going unmentioned in the text.

Where do you put an epigraph?

Design. Although publishers vary in how they style epigraphs, one commonality is that epigraphs are set apart from the main text by being placed at the start of a book, chapter, essay, or other section of a work. They usually do not appear in quotation marks.

Does an epigraph go before table of contents?

Epigraph: A quotation for the front of the book comes next. It could also appear facing the Table of Contents or facing the first page of text. Sometimes epigraphs are used at the beginning of each chapter.