Browse poetry quote websites such as PoemHunter.org, Poetry-online.org, and the "Life Lines" section of Poets.org. Check the sections that cover a topic that you might relate to, such as nature poems if you appreciate the outdoors, or war and peace poems if you are politically inclined.
Visit your local library and search the poetry collections. You will find poetry collections organized by theme, poet, and time period. Browse through a few collections to see which poets, poetic movements, or topics are of interest to you.
Look for books that are a compilation of quotes. These books are often sectioned by topic or theme, making it easier for the person searching to quickly find a meaningful and fitting quote.
Join a local poetry club or writing club. Poetry clubs often host poetry readings from which you can be exposed to a variety of poetry, and members can help you discover what types of poems you may be interested in. Find a club by looking for postings at a local library, checking your local colleges, browsing the newspaper or websites like Craigslist.org, and searching the Internet, are just a few ways to connect with a poetry group.
Determine the purpose of your poetry quote. If it is for a gift card, or to paint on your wall, length may be an issue. You may want to explore shorter poems like couplets or Haiku.
Reflect on the personality of the recipient if you are intending the quote to share the quote with someone. Is the person comedic or romantic? Are they going through something rough? If they are comedic, try a limerick. If they are romantic, try a sonnet. If they are in pain, perhaps try a poem dealing with suffering for them to identify with, or an inspirational poem from the Romantic Era to reinvigorate them and give hope.
Decide on what mood you want the quote to reflect. This will help you find a quote that effectively addresses your needs.
Read romantic poems if you are looking for a poem about love or romance. Try searching for "romantic poems," "sonnets," or read several poems from the Renaissance. To be sure to find several lovely romantic quotes, search poems from William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrette Browning, and Robert Browning.
Read poems from Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell and Robert Frost to find a plethora of poems and quotes on friendship. You can also read Sonnet 104 by William Shakespeare, "Traveling" by William Woodsworth, and "Adam's Curse" by W.B. Yeats.
Research poets who lived during the times of major wars if you are looking for quotes about battles and war. You can also search poems from Stephen Crane, W.H. Auden, EE Cummings, and Robert Lowell.
Read poems about pain, death and suffering if you are looking for a quote along these topics. Search for poems called "elegies" if you are looking for a quote for a funeral. Heartfelt quotes for elegies can be found in poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Walt Whitman, William Butler Years, W.H. Auden, and Robert Lowell. Specific poems include "To an Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman, "For the Union Dead" by Robert Lowell, "In Memoriam" by Lord Alfred Tennyson, and "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman. Read poems by Emily Dickinson to find poems about pain, death and suffering. Poems from John Keats also have heavily focus on these topics, and "The Wasteland" by T.S. Eliot is also noteworthy.
Read poems called "idylls" or "eclogues" if you are looking for poems about nature. These are poems about rustic life, pastoral settings, and poems attuned to the natural world and seasons. Additionally, read poetry collections that have poems by William Wordsworth, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson to find dozens of poems about reflections on nature.