Regular Blockquotes vs Pull Quotes in Ghost

The Difference

The Story theme supports two types of quotes with different styling:

1. Regular Blockquotes (Standard Markdown)

• How to create: Use > in markdown or Ghost’s Quote card
• Appearance:
  • Left border (accent color)
  • Light gray background
  • Italic text
  • Standard font size
  • No citation styling
• Use for: Inline quotes, citations within text, standard quotations

2. Pull Quotes (Custom Styled)

• How to create: Use HTML card with class="pullquote"
• Appearance:
  • Larger font (1.5rem)
  • Centered (or left/right aligned)
  • No border or background (clean, prominent)
  • Heading font (Roboto Slab)
  • Styled citation with link
  • More spacing (3rem margins)
• Use for: Prominent quotes, featured quotations, pull-out quotes

How to Use Each Type

Regular Blockquote (Standard Quote)

Option 1: Markdown

> This is a regular blockquote using markdown syntax.
> It will have the left border and gray background.

Option 2: Ghost Quote Card

1. Click + to add a card
2. Select Quote
3. Type your quote

Result: Styled with left border, gray background, italic text

Pull Quote (Custom Styled)

Method: HTML Card

1. Click + to add a card
2. Select HTML
3. Paste this template:

<blockquote class="pullquote text-center">
  <p>Your prominent quote text here. This will be larger and centered.</p>
  <cite><a href="https://example.com" target="_blank">Author Name, Source, Date</a></cite>
</blockquote>

Result: Large, centered, prominent quote with styled citation

Visual Comparison

Regular Blockquote:

┃ This is a regular blockquote.
┃ It has a left border and gray background.
┃ Text is italic and standard size.

Pull Quote:

        Your prominent quote text here.
        This will be larger and centered.
        No border, clean appearance.
        
        — Author Name, Source, Date

When to Use Which

Use Regular Blockquote (>) when:

• ✅ Quoting within your narrative
• ✅ Inline citations
• ✅ Standard quotations
• ✅ You want the left border accent
• ✅ Part of the flow of text

Use Pull Quote (class="pullquote") when:

• ✅ You want to highlight a quote
• ✅ Featured quotations
• ✅ Stand-alone prominent quotes
• ✅ You want larger, centered text
• ✅ You need styled citation with link
• ✅ Breaking up long text sections

Examples

Regular Blockquote Example:

In Ghost markdown:

> Then she generated the light, and the sight of her room, flooded with radiance and studded with electric buttons, revived her.

Pull Quote Example:

In Ghost HTML card:

<blockquote class="pullquote text-center">
  <p>There is an universal tendency among mankind to conceive all beings like themselves, and to transfer to every object, those qualities, with which they are familiarly acquainted.</p>
  <cite><a href="https://davidhume.org/texts/n/3" target="_blank">David Hume, The Natural History of Religion, 1757</a></cite>
</blockquote>

Quick Reference

Feature	Regular Blockquote	Pull Quote
How to create	> markdown or Quote card	HTML card with class="pullquote"
Font size	Standard (1.1rem)	Large (1.5rem)
Alignment	Left	Center/Left/Right
Border	Left border (accent)	None
Background	Light gray	Transparent
Font style	Italic	Normal
Font family	Body font	Heading font
Citation	Plain text	Styled with link
Spacing	2rem margins	3rem margins

Tips

1. Use pull quotes sparingly - 1-2 per post maximum for impact
2. Regular blockquotes are better for inline quotes within paragraphs
3. Pull quotes work great for chapter/section breaks
4. Always include citation in pull quotes for credibility

Migration Note

If you’re migrating from Jekyll:

• Jekyll `

Error: Pull quote content is required. Usage: {% include pullquote.html content="Your quote here" author="Author Name" %}

` → Ghost HTML card with class="pullquote"

• Jekyll > markdown → Ghost Quote card or > markdown (same)

The conversion script already converted your Jekyll pullquotes to HTML, so you can copy them directly into Ghost HTML cards.