By Maxime Lagacé
Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.
There are thousands of quote websites.
But only a few stand out as the best in their category.
Some of them have huge companies and funding behind them.
And others are the result of a lifelong dedication to quality, simplicity, and beautiful words.
So, let’s stop wasting time and discover 7 of the best quote websites that will help you find great quotes.
Here we go!
Quote Website #1: QuoteGarden
The first quote website I recommend is Quotegarden.com.
It has been around since 1998.
I contacted Terri Guillemets once and I was surprised to get an answer. (Thank you Terri! 😊)
As you can see on the screenshot, there are many topics covered.
There are even topics for special occasions like graduations, mother’s day, anniversaries, and more.
What I like: Terri lives for quotes. She’s been searching for the best quotes (in old and new books) for a long time. You’ll find quotes on this website that you’ll find nowhere else. She didn’t create a quotation website. She created a unique quotation website. A true treasure trove of beautiful quotes (with sources).
What could be better: There are no images on the website. There are only black quotes on a pale background.
Takeaway: Most quotation websites are copycats, but Quotegarden is not. When I’m searching for rare quotes on a topic, it’s my go-to website.
Quote Website #2: QuoteFancy
QuoteFancy is a quote website I still use today.
There are thousands of topics and authors.
Most of the quotes are new to me, even if I’ve been in the quotation space since 2004.
There are over 8 740 000 results/pages when we search site:quotefancy.com on Google.
What I like: The design is clean and simple. You can download the picture quotes and set them as your wallpaper. You can also vote for your favorite ones. Finally, you can create your picture quotes.
What could be better: There’s no easy way to search which makes it hard to find what you want. Also, there are no popular topics.
Takeaway: QuoteFancy is a great quote website. Most of the quotes you’ll find are inspiring and useful.
Quote Website #3: Goodreads
Goodreads has been around since 2007.
This website is mainly dedicated to books but it has a /quotes/ section.
When users read a book, they can then create an entry/quote related to this book.
This website has massive traffic and lots of pages/topics/tags.
What I like: You can vote for your favorite quotes. Each time you vote, you collect the quote in your library of favorite quotes. Moreover, since users can enter new quotes, it makes Goodreads fresh, dynamic and collaborative.
What could be better: You often see grammatical errors since users enter the quotes themselves. Also, it’s hard to verify the authenticity of the source (since users enter the quote and source themselves). Sometimes, the author of a book will quote another author. But users, when entering the quote in Goodreads, attribute the quote to the wrong author.
Takeaway: Goodreads is a huge and interesting website where you can find rare quotes from books. I still use it today.
Quote Website #4: BrainyQuote
BrainyQuote has been online since 2001.
It’s one of the biggest quote databases online with thousands of authors and topics.
There are lots of images too which makes it interesting to navigate.
They have a whole team searching and inserting new quotes every day.
What I like: You can find almost any topic and author. It’s easy to navigate and find popular topics. There’s also an iOS app.
What could be better: It’s not rare to find quotes that mean nothing: they are not inspiring or useful. They should remove them. Moreover, Brainyquote has many ads which make the experience less enjoyable. Finally, the images they use are not related to the quotes. They use landscapes all the time.
Takeaway: Brainyquote is a popular quote website. But “popular” doesn’t mean “good”. Indeed, Brainyquote contains many average quotes and ads.
Quote Website #5: azquotes
azquotes is another massive quote website.
I still use it to find quotes:
- it’s well organized
- simple to use
- fast
- not loaded with ads
There are also many picture quotes with the authors’ faces. It makes the research interesting.
Based on their website, they have over 1 300 000 quotes, 55 000 authors, and 200 000 quotes with sources.
They process books, news, and magazines to find new quotes every day.
What I like: It’s easy to search and find good quotes. You can vote for your favorite quotes.
What could be better: Like Brainyquote, there are some quotes which mean nothing. Also, there are lots of overlapping topics. For example “our deepest fear” and “our greatest fear” are two different topics on azquotes.
Takeaway: azquotes is one of the biggest quote websites. You can find many great quotes and lots of them have sources.
Quote Website #6: Reddit/r/QuotesPorn
Reddit/r/Quotesporn is not like the preceding quote websites.
First, Reddit is a social network where people can bookmark and vote on any kind of article/image/video.
On this website, you can find groups (or subreddits as they call them) and one of them is /QuotesPorn/, which is dedicated to quotes only.
There is also reddit.com/r/quotes/ which is another popular subreddit.
What I like: Reddit’s traffic is massive and voting is easy. This translates to finding inspiring quotes super easy. You can even sort them by Top Quotes of the Day/Week/Month/Year/All Time. Most of the quotes have beautiful or thought-provoking images.
What could be better: You are not 100% sure whether the quote is authentic or fake. You need to verify for yourself on websites like QuoteInvestigator. Also, Reddit’s comment section is not always welcoming. People can be harsh, sarcastic, and obscure.
Takeaway: You can find some of the best quotes on Reddit/r/QuotesPorn. Go check it out!
Quote Website #7: WisdomQuotes
WisdomQuotes is the website you’re on right now!
It’s been online since 2000 and I’ve been working on it since 2017.
There are hundreds of topics and a dozen authors you can learn from.
You can even find articles on how to be happy, how to become successful in life, life tips, and more.
Finally, you can receive the Quote of the Day by email, for free.
What I like: WisdomQuotes’ mission is to help you live a simpler, better, and more peaceful life. It means the focus is on finding only the best quotes that could help you improve your life. You will not find useless or uninspiring quotes on it. (If so, please contact me.) Also, the experience is soothing: there are no popups, dozens of ads, and distracting stuff. Only great quotes.
What could be better: Some of the picture quotes are a little bit hard to read: the contrast of the text could be better. Also, some pages are too long. I could prune those to make the experience even better.
Takeaway: WisdomQuotes has one of the best quote collections online. It’s simple to navigate and consume since this website is not loaded with ads.
3 Bonus Websites And Quote Sources
If you prefer social platforms to find quotes, here are 3 where I find inspiration:
Stoic Reflections (Instagram)
You’ll find quotes on Stoicism with beautiful (and simple) designs.
The Good Quote (Instagram)
You’ll find a variety of designs and images with interesting and rare quotes.
Positive Call (Twitter)
You’ll find inspiring quotes related to personal growth, mindset, and business.
Interesting if you’re into self-improvement.
Conclusion
I hope you discovered a few good quote websites.
My goal was to present the ones you could use in your own life.
Remember: if you prefer more classic quotes, go to azquotes, QuoteFancy, BrainyQuote, and Goodreads.
But if you want the best quote collections, go to QuoteGarden, Reddit, or WisdomQuotes.
What’s your favorite quote website? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.