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Quotes & epigraphs

Keystone has three constructs for set-off quotations, each for a different job: a plain narrowed block, a chapter-opening epigraph, and a mid-chapter pull quote.

Block quotations

For a simple narrowed (indented) passage, use the quote shortcut:

::: quote
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists
in trying to adapt the world to himself.
:::

It indents the block on both sides with no other styling — the neutral base the richer constructs build on.

Epigraphs

An epigraph is the short quotation at a chapter's opening: narrowed, italic, with an optional attribution that right-aligns to the quote's edge.

::: {.epigraph source="John Keats"}
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
:::
  • source — the attribution, rendered with an em-dash prefix
  • font-style — defaults to italic; override for upright text
  • font-family, font-size — change the face or size

Pull quotes

A pullquote is the emphasized callout lifted from the surrounding text — centered, large, and italic, optionally framed by rules:

::: {.pullquote style="ruled" source="Ursula K. Le Guin"}
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty.
:::
  • style — plain (default) or ruled (a rule above and below)
  • align — center (default), left, right, or justified
  • source — attribution text
  • font-size — defaults to large; font-style defaults to italic; font-family overrides the face

Choosing between them

Construct Use for Look
quote Any indented passage Narrowed, unstyled
epigraph A chapter's opening quotation Narrowed, italic, attributed
pullquote A highlight pulled from the text Centered, large, italic, optional rules

All three are composed from smaller pieces, so you can build your own variants — a quote with a custom font, an epigraph in a different face — by defining a shortcut. See Writing your own shortcuts.