@Gargron I missed it when I first joined back in 2019, but now I get the resistance.
I've been saying for a while now that it's important to think about how the features of an application influence the use of the application.
Quote posts are definitely at this category. I believe they have (unintentionally) promoted a less healthy environment that leads to dog-piling and brigading, and detract from direct conversation.
I feel this would have a seriously negative impact on Mastodon.