Markdown quotes and blockquotes

Last Updated: June 13, 2024

Markdown officially supports Blockquotes.

Markdown Blockquotes using > character

Using a > character on each line

To add a blockquote, add a > before every line of the text:

> This is the first paragraph of the quote
>
> This is the second paragraph of the quote

which will be rendered as:

This is the first paragraph of the quote
This is the second paragraph of the quote

Using a single > character for a long line

You can also add a single > before a paragraph, if it is contained within a single line.

> This is all the same paragraph. All of the text remains on the same line in the Markdown file.

which will be rendered as:

This is all the same paragraph. All of the text remains on the same line in the Markdown file.

Nesting Blockquotes

You can nest blockquotes with additional > characters.

> This is the first level of quotes
>> This is the second level of quotes
> Now back to the first level

which will be rendered as:

This is the first level of quotes

This is the second level of quotes

Now back to the first level

Using blockquotes with other Markdown elements

You can also use the blockquote > character in combination with other Markdown elements.

> * This is list item
> * and so is this

which will be rendered as:

This is list item

and so is this

Using inline html within Markdown

While the Markdown blockquote syntax is handy, there's another way to create quotes using inline HTML, which is officially supported by Markdown.

Using the <blockquote> html element

So instead of using the > character, I instead wrap quotes in a <blockquote>html element,

<blockquote>This is my quote, and I don't have to worry about how it interacts with the other Markdown elements in the file</blockquote>

Which will of course create the following html:

This is my quote, and I don't have to worry about how it interacts with the other Markdown elements in the file

Using the <q> html element

Alternatively, if you want an inline quote, the <q>html element also works:

This isn't my quote <q>but this is </q>. Not my quote again.

Which is rendered in html as:
This isn't my quote but this is . Not my quote again.

How I typically quote in Markdown

Markdown is so powerful because of it's flexibility. The Markdown blockquote syntax provides a handy shortcut (the > character) to provide Markdown quotations, but Markdown's support for inline HTML allows for an alternative way to quote within Markdown.

You don't have to stick to just one either!

I usually use <q> elements whenever I copy/paste text into my Markdown notes, to serve as a reminder that I didn't write the text myself.

I also find that using the > character can cause problems with copy/paste, especially in text that I'm frequently editing. So I usually only use the > character when I don't expect the text to change much (like this post).

If you haven't been using inline <q> and <blockquote>elements in your Markdown, give it a try!