public static List sortQuick(List list) {
        List<Comparable> biglist = new ArrayList<Comparable>();

        List<Comparable> largerThan = new ArrayList<Comparable>();
        List<Comparable> smallerThan = new ArrayList<Comparable>();
        if(list.size() == 0) {
            throw new NullPointerException("hmm something is perhaps wrong");
        }
        Comparable pivot = (Comparable) list.get(0);
        int pivotPos = 0;
        biglist.add(0, pivot);

        if(list.size() >= 2) {
            for (int i = 1; i < list.size(); i++) {
                Comparable temp = (Comparable) list.get(i);
                if (temp.compareTo(pivot) <= 0) {
                    smallerThan.add(temp);
                }
                else {
                    largerThan.add(temp);
                }
            }
        }

        if(smallerThan.size() >= 2) {
            smallerThan = sortQuick(smallerThan);
        }

        if(smallerThan.size() != 0) {
            for (int i = smallerThan.size()-1; i >= 0; i--) {
                biglist.addFirst(smallerThan.get(i));
                //System.out.println("added smaller list: " + biglist);
                pivotPos++;
            }
        }

        if(largerThan.size() >= 2) {
            largerThan = sortQuick(largerThan);
        }

        if(largerThan.size() != 0) {
            for (int i = 0; i < largerThan.size(); i++) {
                biglist.addLast(largerThan.get(i));
                //System.out.println("added big list: " + biglist);
            }
        }

        if(biglist.size() == 1) {
            //System.out.println("size is 1: " + biglist);
            return biglist;
        }

        //System.out.println("end: " + biglist);
        return biglist;
    }