May I use short famous people quotes in my kindle book?

You need to get permission to use quotes in your writing.

So, when do you need permission to quote song lyrics or poems or excerpts from novels in your writing? The answer is: If quoting without permission results in copyright infringement, then you need to get permission.

You must credit the source, even if you plan to use only one or two lines of a song or poem.

But keep in mind that acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material is not a substitute for acquiring permission from the copyright owner.

I would quote some taller people also.

They sometimes say good stuff.

It's also okay to quote what anyone said in public. This is different than quoting a piece of work they wrote.

For example if John Lennon said in an interview" "I quite like being the walrus" that is fine to quote as it is a public statement on the record.

But If he sings "I am the walrus" in a song that is part of a copyright work and there are restrictions on how you can reproduce the words.

And if he wrote in an autobiography: "My time as the walrus was a dark period in my musical career". Again, that is part of a copyright work and there are restrictions on how you can reproduce the content.

Generally when you are talking "famous quotes" like you see on some quotation websites, those short missives, attributed sayings and public declarations can be used as attributed quotations without copyright infringement.

Also, if the works have passed into the public domain like Shakespeare or Edgar Allen Poe, any of their writing is fair game.

Here is the problem. You can use short famous people in your book under these conditions. Is the content you have your own. IE who took the picture. If someone else did then you need that persons permission, the one who took the photo. Also if you took the photo was it in a public place If so then yes. If you took the the photo with out the persons permission on private property then no. If you are taking a picture and its not in public property and you are making money on his likeness without compensation then you also have problems.

If the book is about "Documenting" little people or if the little people where part of the documentation process then yes because that falls under freedom of speech.

Also be aware of defamation of character. IE does the bad image hurt the persons reputation or future of doing business and is this to harm the individual. IF not then your fine.

However if its a documentary and you plan to expose said little person for said bad act to inform the public then you are in the right because this falls under free speech.

While I hate to say it most lawyers have trouble with this topic and can get this sort of thing wrong. At the end of the day its up to the jury to decide the fate and the constitution.

When the work is in the public domain. This isn't always a simple matter to determine, but any work published before 1923 is in the public domain. Some works published after 1923 are also in the public domain.

When simply mentioning the title or author of a work. You do not need permission to mention the title of someone's work. It's like citing a fact.

When you are stating unadorned facts. If you copy a list of the 50 states in the United States, you are not infringing on anyone's copyright. Those are unadorned facts.

When you are linking to something. Linking does not require permission.

When the work is licensed under Creative Commons. If this is the case, you should see this prominently declared on the work itself. For instance, the book Mediactive is licensed under Creative Commons, and so are many sites and blogs.

When you abide by fair use guidelines. If you're only quoting a few lines from a full-length book, you are likely within fair use guidelines, and do not need to seek permission. BUT this is a gray area.

If you really want to be safe make a source page at the end that gives credit to the quotes to the correct individual.

Unless the quotes are copyrighted you should be 100% safe.

Be creative and original. Even if you have to use quotes, be careful how you use them so you don't get your readers bored.

No matter what answer you get here you should always get proper legal guidance.

If you use some famous quote that Einstein said in order to explain something, go right ahead. As long as you use general copyright common-sense you should be fine.

I suggest you read the FAIR USE exception to US copyright law.

here's a solid source: What Is Fair Use? - Copyright Overview by Rich Stim - Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center