Thrill of quote by former partner (6)
I believe the answer is:
excite
'thrill' is the definition.
(thrill can mean to excite)
'quote by former partner' is the wordplay.
'quote' becomes 'cite' (synonyms).
'by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'former partner' becomes 'ex' (an ex-partner).
'cite' after 'ex' is 'EXCITE'.
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for excite that I've seen before include "Rouse feelings, make eager" , "Provoke, animate" , "Stir up, stimulate" , "Arouse, make eager" , "Give rise to (a feeling)" .)