making "Quote message in reply?" checked automatically

[Fangs404]

So I want my "Quote message in reply?" checkbox in the quick reply box to be checked at all times. Now the most obvious way to do that is to edit the SHOWTHREAD template and turn:

PHP Code:

<label for="qr_quickreply"><input type="checkbox" name="quickreply" value="1" id="qr_quickreply" accesskey="w" tabindex="4" />$vbphrase[quote_message_in_reply]</label> 


into this:

PHP Code:

<label for="qr_quickreply"><input type="checkbox" name="quickreply" value="1" id="qr_quickreply" accesskey="w" tabindex="4" checked="checked" />$vbphrase[quote_message_in_reply]</label> 


This is all fine and does indeed check the box by default when a new thread is loaded. However, if someone uses the quick reply box without hitting the quick reply button for a specific post, the box clears itself. I can't figure out why. The box should always be checked. I don't even understand why it's unchecked by default.

How can I ensure that the box will remain checked when a user submits a reply to the thread without quick replying any particular post?