I would like to refer to a few of Alan Perlis' Epigrams on Programming by their original numbers, but in an Org Mode ordered list.
When I export my document, the numbers I provide for the list items are discarded and replaced with new numbers, beginning with 1.
The raw source text:
#+begin_example
A few of Alan J. Perlis\rsquo{} [[http://www-pu.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/users/klaeren/epigrams.html][Epigrams on Programming]]:
8. A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
15. Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.
31. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
54. Beware of the Turing tar-pit in which everything is possible but nothing of interest is easy.
#+end_example
The text as rendered, and renumbered, by export:
#begin_quote
A few of Alan J. Perlis\rsquo{} [[http://www-pu.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/users/klaeren/epigrams.html][Epigrams on Programming]]:
8. A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
15. Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.
31. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
54. Beware of the Turing tar-pit in which everything is possible but nothing of interest is easy.
#end_quote
You can set the item number to whatever you want by beginning the text of the item with [@8] (for example). See Ordered List here.
A working example:
A list with custom ordering:
1. [@8] apple
1. [@77] orange
1. [@101] lime
When you export the document the list numbers will be 8, 77, and 101.