API

Get random quotes as JSON. Free to use, no authentication required, CORS enabled.

Base URL

https://quotes.erikreagan.com

Quick Start

Fetch a random quote with JavaScript:

const res = await fetch('https://quotes.erikreagan.com/api/random');
const quote = await res.json();
console.log(quote.quote, '—', quote.author);

GET

/api/random

Returns a random quote. Each request returns a different quote from the collection.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
only_themes	string	Optional. Comma-separated list of themes. Return quotes only from these themes (matches theme and tags). Use /api/themes to get available values.
exclude_themes	string	Optional. Comma-separated list of themes to exclude (matches theme and tags). Takes priority over `only_themes`.
exclude_quotes	string	Optional. Comma-separated list of quote IDs to exclude from results. Useful to avoid showing the same quote twice in a row.

Example Request

curl https://quotes.erikreagan.com/api/random

Filter to specific themes:

curl "https://quotes.erikreagan.com/api/random?only_themes=wisdom,character"

Exclude themes:

curl "https://quotes.erikreagan.com/api/random?exclude_themes=wisdom"

Response

200 OK

{
  "id": "marcus-aurelius-a1b2c3d4",
  "quote": "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.",
  "author": "Marcus Aurelius",
  "source": "Meditations",
  "tags": [
    "virtue",
    "action"
  ],
  "theme": "character",
  "permalink": "https://quotes.erikreagan.com/q/marcus-aurelius-a1b2c3d4",
  "images": {
    "tall": "https://quotes.erikreagan.com/image/marcus-aurelius-a1b2c3d4/tall.png",
    "square": "https://quotes.erikreagan.com/image/marcus-aurelius-a1b2c3d4/square.png",
    "wide": "https://quotes.erikreagan.com/image/marcus-aurelius-a1b2c3d4/wide.png"
  }
}

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
id	string	Unique quote identifier
quote	string	The quote text
author	string	Who said or wrote the quote
source	string	Book, speech, or other origin
tags	string[]	Related topic tags
theme	string	Primary theme the quote belongs to
permalink	string	Permanent URL to the quote page
images	object	Shareable images in three sizes: `tall`, `square`, and `wide`

Errors

404 Not Found — returned when no quotes match the given filters

{
  "error": "No quotes found"
}

Try It

GET

/api/themes

Returns all available themes. Useful for building dynamic theme filters with /api/random.

Example Request

curl https://quotes.erikreagan.com/api/themes

Response

200 OK

[
  {
    "slug": "character",
    "name": "Character",
    "description": "Quotes about integrity, virtue, and moral strength",
    "quoteCount": 12,
    "permalink": "https://quotes.erikreagan.com/themes/character"
  }
]

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
slug	string	URL-safe theme identifier. Use this value with `only_themes` and `exclude_themes`.
name	string	Display name for the theme
description	string	Short description of the theme
quoteCount	number	Number of quotes in this theme
permalink	string	Permanent URL to the theme page

Try It

Request URL

Response

Notes

• No authentication or API key is needed.
• CORS is enabled for all origins, so you can call the API directly from browser JavaScript.
• Responses use Content-Type: application/json.
• All errors return { "error": "..." } with an appropriate HTTP status code.
• There are no rate limits currently, but please be reasonable.
• The collection is regularly updated with new quotes.