# Wikiquote API

> Wikiquote returns sourced, disputed, and misattributed quotations by person, available as a workflow and API.

Wikiquote returns sourced, disputed, and misattributed quotations for a person on English Wikiquote; provide the person's name. Sourced quotations include a citation or identified work, but Wikiquote attribution is not independent verification.

- Page: https://fous.com/workflows/wikiquote
- Handle: `@wikiquote`
- Category: [Education](https://fous.com/workflows/category/education)
- Source website: https://wikiquote.org
- Last verified: Sep 29, 2026
- Fous is not affiliated with Wikiquote.

## Methods

### Get quotes by person

Operation `get_quotes_by_person`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Get sourced quotations, disputed quotations, and misattributed quotations for a person on English Wikiquote. Sourced quotes are included only when a citation or identified work appears on the page; Wikiquote attribution is not independent verification.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `person` | string | yes | `"Mark Twain"` | The person to look up, for example Albert Einstein. |
| `max_results` | integer | no | `5` | Maximum number of sourced quotes to return, for example 50. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "person"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "person": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "description": "The person to look up, for example Albert Einstein.",
      "examples": [
        "Mark Twain",
        "Albert Einstein",
        "Ada Lovelace"
      ]
    },
    "max_results": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 50,
      "maximum": 200,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Maximum number of sourced quotes to return, for example 50.",
      "x-fous-developer": true,
      "examples": [
        5,
        50,
        8
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "person": "Mark Twain",
      "max_results": 5
    },
    {
      "person": "Albert Einstein",
      "max_results": 50
    },
    {
      "person": "Ada Lovelace",
      "max_results": 8
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `name` | string | `"Ada Lovelace"` | Person name as on Wikiquote. |
| `page_link` | string | `"https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace"` |  |
| `description` | string or null | `"Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace ( 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852 ), born Augusta Ada Byron and now commonly` | One-line description of the person. |
| `sourced_quotes` | array |  |  |
| `sourced_quotes[].year` | integer or null | `1842` |  |
| `sourced_quotes[].quote` | string | `"We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers a` |  |
| `sourced_quotes[].source` | string | `"Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage Esq. Scientific Memoirs (Richard Taylor): 694. Additions by` |  |
| `disputed_quotes` | array |  |  |
| `disputed_quotes[].note` | string or null |  |  |
| `disputed_quotes[].quote` | string |  |  |
| `misattributed_quotes` | array |  |  |
| `misattributed_quotes[].note` | string or null |  |  |
| `misattributed_quotes[].quote` | string |  |  |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "person": "Ada Lovelace",
  "max_results": 8
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "name": "Ada Lovelace",
  "page_link": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace",
  "description": "Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace ( 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852 ), born Augusta Ada Byron and now commonly known as Ada Lovelace , was an English mathematician and writer , daughter of th…",
  "sourced_quotes": [
    {
      "year": 1842,
      "quote": "[ The Analytical Engine ] might act upon other things besides number , were objects found whose mutual fundamental relations could be expressed by those of the abstract science of operations, and whic…",
      "source": "Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage Esq. Scientific Memoirs (Richard Taylor): 694. Additions by Lovelace to her translation of Luigi Menabrea's Memoir (1842)."
    },
    {
      "year": 1843,
      "quote": "We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.",
      "source": "Notes on the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage (1843)"
    },
    {
      "year": 1894,
      "quote": "Our family are an alternate stratification of poetry and mathematics .",
      "source": "In a letter to Andrew Crosse , as quoted in Eugen Kölbing 's Englische Studien, Volume 19 (1894), Leipzig; O.R. Reisland, \"Byron's Daughter\", p. 156."
    }
  ],
  "disputed_quotes": [],
  "misattributed_quotes": []
}
```

## Quick start

Call the API with a Fous API key (`FOUS_API_KEY`). To create one, turn on Developer mode in Fous Studio, then open Keys & connections → API keys (https://app.fous.com/keys).

```bash
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
: "${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example}"

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 120 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@wikiquote",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_quotes_by_person",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "person": "Mark Twain",
    "max_results": 5
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'
```

```python
# Save as fous.py and run with python3 fous.py. No packages needed.
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
import json
import os
import urllib.error
import urllib.request

api_key = os.environ.get("FOUS_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example")

body = json.loads("{\n  \"api\": \"@wikiquote\",\n  \"visibility\": \"public\",\n  \"operation\": \"get_quotes_by_person\",\n  \"version\": 1,\n  \"input\": {\n    \"person\": \"Mark Twain\",\n    \"max_results\": 5\n  },\n  \"response\": {\n    \"format\": \"json\"\n  }\n}")
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.fous.com/v1/query",
    data=json.dumps(body).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=120) as response:
        result = json.load(response)
except urllib.error.HTTPError as error:
    raise RuntimeError(f"HTTP {error.code}: {error.read().decode('utf-8', errors='replace')}") from error
if result.get("success") is False:
    raise RuntimeError(result.get("error", {}).get("message", "Request failed"))
print(json.dumps(result["data"]["output"], indent=2))
```

```typescript
// Save as fous.mts and run with npx tsx fous.mts.
// First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
const apiKey = process.env.FOUS_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example");

const response = await fetch("https://api.fous.com/v1/query", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "api": "@wikiquote",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_quotes_by_person",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "person": "Mark Twain",
    "max_results": 5
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}),
});
type ApiResult = { success: boolean; data?: { output: unknown }; error?: { message: string } };
const result: ApiResult = await response.json();
if (!response.ok || result.success === false) {
  throw new Error(result.error?.message ?? `HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
if (!result.data) throw new Error("Missing API response data");
console.log(result.data.output);
```

Or describe the data in plain language: send `{"api":"@wikiquote","prompt":"Describe the data you need, with every detail"}` to the same URL. Fous fills in the input, runs the method that fits and returns only the fields you asked for; `data.route.calls[].request` is the exact call it made. Routing is free; the run costs the same.

## Use cases

- Research a person's sourced quotations and their cited works.
- Identify quotations marked as disputed.
- Check which quotations are listed as misattributed.
- Gather quotations about a person for editorial review.

## FAQ

### Is Fous affiliated with Wikiquote?

No. Fous is not affiliated with Wikiquote. This workflow reads the public wikiquote.org website and returns its data.

### How much does it cost?

Each run costs 1 credit. With pay-as-you-go, a credit costs 1¢; monthly plans cost less per credit.

### Do I need a Wikiquote account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

### How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from wikiquote.org when you run it; repeating the same request within a day may return the saved result. Fous checks this workflow automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 29, 2026.

### What sourced quotations are listed for a person?

Get quotes by person returns sourced quotations and their sources when the page includes a citation or identified work.

### Which quotations are marked as disputed?

Get quotes by person returns disputed quotations and their notes.

### Which quotations are listed as misattributed?

Get quotes by person returns misattributed quotations and their notes.

## Related

- [BrainyQuote API](https://fous.com/workflows/brainyquote.md): BrainyQuote returns topic-matched quotes in displayed order, a person’s description and up to 100 quotes with topic tags and links, or the quote shown for the chosen daily category and BrainyQuote’s current day.
- [Wikipedia API](https://fous.com/workflows/wikipedia.md): Wikipedia returns article summaries, images, facts, relevant search matches, readable text and daily historical events, plus human-view counts from July 2015 onward.
- [Goodreads API](https://fous.com/workflows/goodreads.md): Goodreads returns public book searches, matched-book details with variable editions, popular or newest reviews, author books by popularity or date, and up to 100 quotes.
- [IMDb API](https://fous.com/workflows/imdb.md): IMDb returns movie, TV, person, episode, chart and Parents Guide details, including available weekly rank changes; missing details are null, and unaired or unrated episodes lack ratings.
- [Wikidata API](https://fous.com/workflows/wikidata.md): Wikidata is a free public knowledge base returning facts and item lists about people, places, organizations, and more; values may be historical and dates incomplete.
- [Open Library API](https://fous.com/workflows/open-library.md): Open Library returns book search results, catalog details, and author works; availability reflects listed editions, not current loan availability, and catalog details may be missing.
- [Britannica API](https://fous.com/workflows/britannica.md): Britannica returns public encyclopedia articles with introductions, quick facts, headings, update dates and images, plus search results with titles, descriptions, links and images when shown.
- [Project Gutenberg API](https://fous.com/workflows/project-gutenberg.md): Project Gutenberg offers free public-domain ebooks and reading materials, with searchable book details and plain text from the most-downloaded matching edition available.
- [All Education workflows](https://fous.com/workflows/category/education)