How to quote text in Markdown
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A blockquote is a greater-than sign at the start of the line:
> Everything on this line is quoted.
Consecutive quoted lines join into one block, so a long quotation can be hard-wrapped in the source without breaking apart in the output.
Multiple paragraphs
The blank line between two quoted paragraphs needs its own >:
> First paragraph.
>
> Second paragraph.
Leave that marker off and the quote ends at the blank line — the second paragraph becomes ordinary body text. This is the most common problem people hit with quotes.
Nesting
Double the marker to nest, and keep going for deeper levels:
> Outer quote
>> Reply to it
>>> Reply to the reply
Quotes hold other Markdown
Lists, code blocks, links, emphasis and headings all work inside a quote. A common pattern is a callout — a bolded label followed by a sentence or two:
> **Note** — this behaviour changed in version 2.
Markdown has no dedicated callout or admonition syntax, so a bolded blockquote is the portable way to write one.
Common questions
- How do I quote a block of text?
- Put a greater-than sign and a space at the start of the line. Everything on that line becomes part of the quote, and consecutive quoted lines join into a single block.
- How do I write a quote with more than one paragraph?
- Put a > on the blank line between paragraphs too. A truly empty line ends the quote, so the marker is what holds the two paragraphs together in one block.
- Do I need a > on every line?
- Not strictly — lazy continuation means an unmarked line following a quoted one usually gets absorbed into it. Marking every line is clearer and behaves consistently across renderers, so it is worth the habit.
- Can I put other Markdown inside a quote?
- Yes. Lists, headings, code blocks, links and emphasis all work inside a blockquote, and nested quotes work by doubling the marker to >>.
- What is the difference between a blockquote and a code block?
- A blockquote is prose that gets styled as a quotation and stays fully formatted. A code block is verbatim text where Markdown syntax is deliberately not interpreted. Use a quote for words and a code block for anything that must survive unchanged.