Markdown cheatsheet · Blockquotes
Blockquotes in markdown
A > at the start of a line quotes it, the same convention email has used for decades.
The syntax
> Writing is thinking. > Rewriting is understanding.
Writing is thinking. Rewriting is understanding.
Consecutive > lines merge into one quote. Strictly, only the first line needs the marker ("lazy continuation"), but marking every line keeps the source readable.
Multiple paragraphs
Keep the quote going across a paragraph break by putting a > on the blank line too.
> First paragraph of the quote. > > Second paragraph, same quote.
First paragraph of the quote.
Second paragraph, same quote.
Nested quotes
Stack the markers: >> is a quote within a quote, useful for quoting a reply.
> She wrote: >> The deadline moved to Friday. > > So we ship Thursday night.
She wrote:
The deadline moved to Friday.
So we ship Thursday night.
Anything can live in a quote
Blockquotes hold other markdown: headings, lists, code blocks, even tables; just prefix each line with >.
> **Review notes** > - tighten the intro > - drop section 3
Review notes
- tighten the intro
- drop section 3
Common questions
How do I end a blockquote?
Leave a blank, unmarked line. Without it, the next paragraph gets pulled into the quote by lazy continuation, which is the most common blockquote surprise.
What are the [!NOTE] quotes I see on GitHub?
Callouts (alerts): a GitHub extension where a blockquote starting with [!NOTE], [!TIP], [!WARNING], etc. renders as a colored panel. Obsidian has a similar but not identical syntax. Elsewhere they render as plain quotes with the tag visible. The callouts guide covers all three, plus the fallback that works everywhere.