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Wikiquote
What it is
Wikiquote is a free, collaboratively maintained quotation reference available on the web. Readers can look up quotations through search and browse articles arranged by people, literary works, proverbs, films, television shows, themes, and categories. The English edition has more than 72,000 articles and connects to editions in many languages. Anyone can edit an entry through its edit link, create pages, and use contributor help, policies, and guidelines. Wikiquote is operated by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation. Its material is offered under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License and GNU Free Documentation License. CC BY-SA permits commercial or other reuse when share-alike terms remain and the source is credited, usually with an article link. Citation tools are available, and entries contain text and images. Search can be temporarily unavailable during heavy Wikimedia server loads. Because quotations are stored in wiki articles, the project does not offer a practical direct feed of individual quotes for random-quote generation. Content may include offensive, vulgar, or profane material.
For and against
For
- Free web access
- More than 72,000 English articles
- Anyone can edit entries
- Citation tools included
- Creative Commons reuse allowed with attribution
Against
- Search may pause during heavy server loads
- No practical direct random-quote feed
- Content may include offensive material
The verdict
Wikiquote combines broad quotation browsing with open reader contributions and clearly stated reuse licenses. Its wiki-based storage is less suited to applications needing direct individual-quote retrieval.
Who it suits
Wikiquote suits readers seeking quotations by subject or source and people who want to contribute or reuse material under its licenses. It also fits users who need citation tools and multilingual browsing.
Plans and prices
Wikiquote
Free quotation compendium · collaboratively written
Read 9 Oct 2026 · wikiquote.org
On the record
- Browsing
- Wikiquote organizes entries around people, literary works, proverbs, films, television shows, themes, and categories.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Content license
- Wikiquote content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License and GNU Free Documentation License.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Content limitation
- Wikiquote may contain content some users consider offensive, vulgar, or profane.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Contributions
- The project supports creating articles and editing existing pages, with help pages and contributor policies and guidelines.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Coverage
- The English Wikiquote contains more than 72,000 articles and the site links to many language editions.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Editing
- Anyone can edit an entry by clicking its edit link.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The project describes itself alongside Wikimedia sister projects including Wikipedia, Wikisource, Wiktionary, and Wikidata.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Organization
- Wikiquote is run by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- Wikiquote links to the Wikimedia Foundation Privacy Policy, which explains how personal information is collected, used, and shared on Wikimedia Sites.meta.wikimedia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Wikiquote is a free compendium of quotations written collaboratively by readers.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Random quote limit
- Wikiquote does not provide a practical way to pull individual quotations directly for random quote generation because quotations are stored in wiki articles.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Reuse
- Wikiquote material may be reused commercially or otherwise under CC BY-SA if users preserve the share-alike freedom and credit the source, usually with a link to the article.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Search
- Users can search Wikiquote for a quotation and browse matching articles, although search may be temporarily disabled when Wikimedia servers are heavily loaded.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- Wikiquote directs questions about how to use the site to the Village pump and general knowledge questions to the Reference Desk.en.wikiquote.org · read 9 Oct 2026
