Sometimes you want to step back from your own voice and let someone else's words take centre stage — a line from a book, a piece of advice worth savouring, a key point that deserves its own space on the page. Markdown's blockquote gives quoted text a visual home of its own: indented, set apart, unmistakable.
What You Will Need
Your Markdown editor, open and ready.
Workflow
Step 1
Aim: write a simple blockquote.
A blockquote starts with a > character followed by a space and your quoted text. That is all there is to it.
> The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
In the preview the text should appear indented and visually distinct — usually with a vertical bar or a different background on the left side. It is clearly separated from the surrounding prose.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
Step 2
Aim: write a multi-paragraph blockquote.
If your quote spans more than one paragraph, start each line with >. Add a blank line with just > on it to create the paragraph break within the quote.
> The most important thing I have learned about travel is this: the journey matters as much as the destination.
>
> If you spend the whole trip waiting to arrive, you will miss everything that happens on the way.
Both paragraphs sit inside the same blockquote, separated by a visible gap.
The most important thing I have learned about travel is this: the journey matters as much as the destination.
If you spend the whole trip waiting to arrive, you will miss everything that happens on the way.
Step 3
Aim: add an attribution.
A good quotation usually includes who said it. There is no official Markdown syntax for attribution, but the widely accepted convention is an em dash followed by the name, on a new line directly after the closing >.
## A Favourite Saying
> Not all those who wander are lost.
— J.R.R. Tolkien, *The Fellowship of the Ring*
The attribution sits outside the blockquote — it is your own words pointing to the source, not part of the quoted text itself.
Step 4
Aim: use a blockquote as a tip or highlight.
Blockquotes are not only for quotations. Many writers use them to pull out a tip, a warning, or a key piece of information that deserves more prominence than ordinary paragraph text. This gives important content its own breathing room.
## Checking In at the Airport
Arrive at the airport at least two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight. Security queues can be unpredictable, especially during school holiday periods.
> **Tip:** If you are travelling with children, look for the family security lane — it is usually calmer and the staff are often more patient.
Once through security, check the departure boards rather than heading straight to your gate. Gates can change at short notice, and walking to the wrong end of the terminal wastes time you might not have.
Checking In at the Airport
Arrive at the airport at least two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight. Security queues can be unpredictable, especially during school holiday periods.
Tip: If you are travelling with children, look for the family security lane — it is usually calmer and the staff are often more patient.
Once through security, check the departure boards rather than heading straight to your gate. Gates can change at short notice, and walking to the wrong end of the terminal wastes time you might not have.
Step 5
Aim: review what you have written.
Blockquotes work for three things: a quotation from another person, a multi-paragraph passage of quoted text, and a highlighted tip or callout. The syntax is always the same — > at the start of each line inside the quote.
# My Travel Notes
## A Favourite Saying
> Not all those who wander are lost.
— J.R.R. Tolkien, *The Fellowship of the Ring*
---
## Checking In at the Airport
Arrive at the airport at least two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight.
> **Tip:** If you are travelling with children, look for the family security lane.
Once through security, check the departure boards rather than heading straight to your gate.
My Travel Notes
A Favourite Saying
Not all those who wander are lost.
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Checking In at the Airport
Arrive at the airport at least two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight.
Tip: If you are travelling with children, look for the family security lane.
Once through security, check the departure boards rather than heading straight to your gate.
You can now give quoted text its own space on the page. The next workflow covers tables — the best way to organise information that naturally falls into rows and columns.