i have since given up on XML::DOM::Lite. here is my complete xml document copied out of "Learning XML": 
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<quotelist>
  <quotation style="wise" id="q1">
    <text>Expect nothing; be ready for anything.</text>
    <source>Samuri Chant</source>
  </quotation>
  <quotation style="political" id="q2">
    <text>If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potom
+ac
    River, the headline that afternoon would read "President Can't
    Swim."</text>
    <source>Lyndon B. Johnson</source>
  </quotation>
  <quotation style="silly" id="q3">
    <?human laugh?>
    <text>What if the hokey-pokey IS what it's all about?</text>
  </quotation>
  <quotation style="wise" id="q4">
    <text>If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.</text>
    <source>Juan Ramon Jiminez</source>
  </quotation>
  <!-- the checkbook is mighter than the sword? -->
  <quotation style="political" id="q5">
    <text>Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing
    armies.</text>
    <source>Thomas Jefferson</source>
  </quotation>
</quotelist>

[download]
this code: 
use warnings;
use strict;
use Data::Dumper;
use XML::LibXML;
my $parser = XML::LibXML->new;
my $doc = $parser->parse_file( 'practice.xml' );
my $xpath = '/quotelist/quotation[@id="q5"]/source/text()';
my $result = $doc->find( $xpath );
print Dumper $result->string_value;
exit 0;

[download]
produces: $VAR1 = 'Thomas Jefferson';

will go back to XML::DOM::Lite when i have more time. for the time being concentrating on XML::LibXML which because we have seven unixen and ms-windows to compile for, creates new and improved headaches. :)

In reply to Re^2: trying to use XML::DOM::Lite by jim_neophyte
in thread trying to use XML::DOM::Lite by jim_neophyte

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