epigram / epigraph / epitaph / epithet
A short pointed remark, a quotation at the front of a work, words on a tomb, and a descriptive label.
An epigram is a short, pointed remark. An epigraph is a quotation set at the front of a book or a chapter. An epitaph is the inscription on a tomb. An epithet is a descriptive label, sometimes abusive. Do not use epitaph for the quotation on page one.
Examples
Use a sharp epigram
Use the chapter’s epigraph
Use an epitaph on the stone
Use the epithet stone-faced
Avoid an epitaph on page one