RE: Question about quotes on emacs lisp

[Drew Adams]

    Why can't I do something like this:
    (global-set-key "\C-x\n" "other-window")
    Aren't I still using quotes when calling the function other-window?

Neither "other-window" nor 'other-window calls the function other-window.
The former evaluates to a string; the latter evaluates to the symbol whose
name is other-window. You want the latter here, because you are binding a
key sequence to the command represented by the symbol other-window.

Double quotes (") delimit strings. A single quote (') in front of a Lisp
S-expression (sexp) tells the interpreter to treat the sexp literally, that
is, to return the sexp. The sexp 'other-window is syntactic sugar for (quote
other-window), and quote returns its argument unevaluated. So, the sexp
'other-window returns the sexpr other-window, which is a symbol - it is not
a string.

For this to become more clear and familiar, read up on evaluation, quote,
symbols, and perhaps strings in the Emacs-Lisp manual, and practice
evaluating sexps that include ' and "...".