Zeno Quotes — Free Inspirational Quotes API (No Key)

TL;DR

Zeno Quotes delivers random inspirational quotes from famous authors, philosophers, scientists, and historical figures. It offers several endpoints including random quotes, today's quote, and quotes by specific authors. The API requires no signup for the free tier, which provides attribution-lined quotes suitable for websites, apps, and social media. The quote database covers everyone from Marcus Aurelius to Maya Angelou.

Quick start: https://zenquotes.io/api/random

No API key needed — just make a request!

How to Use This API

1. Get a Random Quote

https://zenquotes.io/api/random

2. Today's Featured Quote

https://zenquotes.io/api/today

3. JavaScript — Daily Inspiration Widget

fetch('https://zenquotes.io/api/random')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    const q = data[0];
    document.getElementById('quote').textContent = q.q;
    document.getElementById('author').textContent = '— ' + q.a;
  });

4. Python — Get Multiple Quotes

import requests

resp = requests.get('https://zenquotes.io/api/random')
quotes = resp.json()
for q in quotes:
    print(f'"{q["q"]}" — {q["a"]}')

Try it: https://zenquotes.io/api/random

Try This URL Now

API Details

API URL: https://zenquotes.io/api
Documentation: zenquotes.io
Category: Fun
Authentication: Not Required (free tier)
Geographic Coverage: Global

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an API key?: The free tier requires no API key. A paid tier with higher limits and no attribution requirement is available.
Can I search quotes by author?: Yes, uses /api/quotes/author?author=Albert+Einstein to fetch quotes from a specific person.
What fields does the response contain?: Each quote includes q (quote text), a (author), h (HTML formatted version), and the API version info.
Is attribution required?: The free tier requires attribution. The API's terms expect you to display the author name alongside the quote.
How many quotes are in the database?: Thousands of curated quotes from hundreds of authors across many eras and cultures.

What You Can Build

Daily inspirational quote widget for dashboards
Motivational start page for browsers
Quote-of-the-day email newsletter feeder
Social media auto-poster with attributed quotes
Writer's block inspiration tool